An Edo State High Court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje has dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the national chairman of Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure by some members of his Ward 3 executive in Esan North East local government area. The action was filed by Abure and some other executives of the ward.
In his judgment, Justice Aihamoje said the party ward executive in Ward 3 lacks the power under the LP constitution particularly Articles 17 & 19 and the Electoral Act 2022 as amended to remove the national chairman of the party.
The judge in Suit No: HUC/21/2023 imposed an injunction against removing or suspending Abure as the National chairman until the national convention of the party is convened.
Justice Aihamoje further stated that the purported ward 3 executive who suspended the national chairman of the party acted outside the powers vested on it by the party’s constitution.
Reacting to the judgment, the Ward 3 LP chairman, Comrade Thompson Ehiguese said the judgment has put an end to the antics of those he said were masquerading as members of the Labour Party in his ward.
Counsel to the LP, Barr. President Aigbokhan described the judgment as a landmark decision that will stand the test of time.
He said “Any decision taken on the void notice of suspension falls effortlessly. The Court in its decision emphasized that the role of ward executive in the Labour Party does not include the suspension of national officers of the party. Anybody who is relying on the suspension notice that the Ward Executive against the National Chairman of the Labour Party is on his own, the judge said that he has nullified the notice and he has restrained the National Working Committee from removing the National Chairman of the party pending the National Convention.”
On his part, the state chairman of LP, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi said the party is vindicated and the “court has spoken through its erudite justice, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje and it confirmed what we told the Nigerian public from the very beginning that Apapa and his cohorts are common tragic power seekers.
“The judgment is to the effect that those who pronounced the suspension of the national chairman in Abuja did not have the competence in law to do so because the position of the constitution of the party is that the national chairman can only be removed via a convention.” so if what they did in Abuja was not a convention then it was a total null void and Apapa was further restrained from parading himself as Acting National Chairman.”
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