The crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) has taken another dimension with both Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa claiming leadership of the party.
While Abure said he and the national executives had resumed their full duties in obedience to the court order that earlier restrained them, Apapa said he remains the national chairman of the Labour Party and warned their presidential candidate Peter Obi to desist from working with Abure.
Both Abure and Apapa spoke to journalists yesterday, claiming the leadership of the party.
The national publicity secretary of the Labour Party loyal to Apapa, during a conference addressed by Dr Abayomi Arabambi, said Apapa remains the national chairman until the court decides otherwise.
Arabambi, during the press conference, said Apapa was the state chairman of LP in Oyo State in 2009 and a pioneer founder of the Labour Party in Nigeria whereas Abure has a very poor background in the party, which is affecting his sense of judgment.
“While I was the assistant state secretary in Edo State, I was the state deputy chairman in Ogun as far back as 2010,” he said.
According to him, the NEC meeting of March 27 notice to INEC purported to have been jointly signed by the then acting national chairman, Mrs Maria Labake and Julius Abure, were forged as the woman was never aware of the import of that NEC meeting.
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“Every decision taken by Barr Julius Abure from on the 31st day of March, 2023, when he was suspended and action or decision taken jointly or separately by him and the national secretary, Alhaji Faruk Umar, the national organising secretary, Mr. Clem Ojukwu and the national treasurer, Miss Oluchi, from on the 5th of April are all action(s) taken in violation of the Order of the court of competent jurisdiction and therefore null and void and are all exercises in futility,” he said.
However, the embattled national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has stated that the Labour Party does not have factions; that there is only one national working committee headed by him.
He said, “Recall that some few members of the party burgled themselves into the office and appointed themselves, four of them, as officers of the party acting on the purported and upon a restraining order, an ex parte order granted by the FCT High Court.
“The Labour Party has only one leadership and that leadership is the National Working Committee led by myself, Barrister Julius Abure. A cursory look at the originating summons which is pending before the High Court of the FCT, Apapa and his cohorts asking that court upon granting their reliefs in the final judgment to direct the NEC to appoint interim national officers for the party.
“Out of desperation, they were not patient enough to wait for the outcome of the final judgement but employed self-help and appointed themselves as national officers of the party.
“However, our objection to the court jurisdiction was overruled by Justice J. Muazu of FCT High Court on the 12th of May. On the same day, we filed a Notice of Appeal.
“Then on Wednesday 17th May, the Appeal was entered at the Court of Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/559/2023. Also, we have filed our Appellant Brief of Argument which has been served on the trial courts. The matter is now on the cause list of the Court of Appeal. So, what the High Court judge is expected to do is to adjourn the matter sine-die.”
Abure recalled that in 2021, in Suleiman V. APC reported in NWLR (2023), the same Justice Muazu wrongly assumed jurisdiction and his decision was jettisoned by the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
“This report was communicated but surprisingly he went ahead to assume jurisdiction.
“However, I appealed and filed a motion for stay which has been served on the judge. I and my colleagues have now fully assumed our constitutional responsibilities as national officers of the party,” Abure added.
