Labour Party Crisis: Court Reveals Date To Decide On Abure, Apapa’s Leadership Tussle

The embattled suspended National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, has filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of a federal high court in Abuja to hear a suit seeking his removal.

Recall that Justice Hamza Muazu had, on April 5th, restrained Abure, Farouk Ibrahim, Clement Ojukwu, and Oluchi Opara from acting as national officers of the party.

Following the court ruling, Lamidi Apapa, the party’s Deputy Chairman South, took over as Acting Chairman of the party.

The plaintiffs in the suit marked CV/2930/2023 told the court that the defendants forged several documents of the FCT high court to carry out unlawful substitutions in the last elections.

The suit was filed by Martins Esikpali John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, John Elomah, and Ayobami Arabambi.

During the hearing on Thursday, Abure’s counsel, Alex Ejesieme, disclosed that he had filed a preliminary objection against the suit seeking the Labour Party’s Chairman removal.

According to him, the suit is challenging the court’s jurisdiction to adjudicate in the matter brought before it by the claimants.

He said the plaintiffs invaded LP’s secretariat and vandalized it against the court order, adding that the allegation of forgery against his clients cannot be brought before the court through originating summon.

Ejesieme said the matter brought before the court bothers on internal issues, stressing that the plaintiffs are not members of the LP and, therefore, lack the locus standi to institute the suit.

But the counsel to the plaintiffs, George Ibrahim, told the court that Abure and his co-defendants are still parading themselves as national officers of the LP in contempt of the court order.

After listening to the arguments, the judge fixed May 12 to rule on the preliminary objection.