An Edo High Court sitting in Benin City on Friday dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Mr Julius Abure, by some members of his Ward 3 executive in Esan North-East Local Government Area of the State.
The court presided over by Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje, held that the party ward executive in Ward 3 lacked 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 was 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 had 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, President Aigbokhan described the judgment as a landmark decision that would stand the test of time.
“Any decision taken on the void notice of suspension falls effortlessly.
“The Court in its decision emphasised 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,” Aigbokhan said.
In his reaction, the Edo State Chairman of LP, Comrade Kelly Ogbaloi, said the party was vindicated and the “court has spoken through its erudite judge, Hon. Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje and it confirmed what we told the Nigerian public from the very beginning, that Apampa 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 Apampa was further restrained from parading himself as Acting National Chairman,” Ogbaloi reiterated.
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