Conflicting judgments have emerged as two courts issued differing conclusions on the sack of Labour Party (LP) national officers.
Information Nigeria had reported that Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Wednesday, restrained the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure; National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu and the treasurer, Oluchi Opara from parading themselves as national officials of the Party.
The judge, Muazu gave the restraining order upon an ex-parte application argued by one James Onoja that revealed the defendants allegedly forged several documents of the Abuja High Court to carry out unlawful substitutions in the last general elections.
The plaintiffs in the suit marked CV/2930/2023 are Martins John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, Job Elomah, and Abayomi Arabambi.
But in another development, a state High Court sitting in Benin, Edo capital, reportedly restrained the Party from suspending its national officers till the determination of the motion on notice.
This was made known in a statement on Wednesday by the LP national secretary, Umar Farouk.
According to Daily Independent, the statement quoted LP lawyer, G. C. Igbokwe, as saying that the court ordered that the status quo be maintained and no action which may result in the suspension of any national officer of the Party be taken.
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It read, “Our attention has been drawn to a latter order purportedly from another court of equal jurisdiction restraining my clients. Of course, such order is of no consequence and will have no effect until after the determination of the motion on notice.
“Recall that the entire leadership of Labour Party in Edo State, including the State, Local Government, and Ward executives on Monday had passed a vote of confidence on Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.
“The party recalled that some groups who claimed to be Ward 3 executives of the party in Edo State, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman.
“However, in a solidarity visit to the Barrister Abure at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, the chapters said the Osigbemhe faction are unknown to the party and are working for the opposition political parties.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, addressing newsmen said no group or Party member is empowered to suspend a national officer.
He stated that imposters who are not registered party members cannot suspend Abure, who was elected by a national convention.
Ogbaloi added: “So their action is out of ignorance. Those who did it don’t even understand the message they were asked to deliver.”
