Benin City Court of Appeal Upholds Julius Abure’s Leadership as Labour Party National Chairman

In a significant legal development, the Court of Appeal in Benin City has upheld Julius Abure’s position as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The confirmation of Abure’s leadership was announced by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in an official statement on Monday, as reported from Abuja.

The decisive ruling was made by a three-member panel of the appellate court, which rejected a lawsuit brought forth by Mr. Lucky Shaibu against Abure and three other members of the Labour Party’s national executive committee.

Mr. Shaibu, along with fellow members of the Labour Party executive committee from Ward 3, Esan North East local government area of Edo State, had suspended Abure from his role as chairman in March. However, Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, on April 5, issued a restraining order against Abure and three associates, preventing them from assuming the roles of national officers within the party. This order followed an application submitted by Shaibu and his party colleagues. The named officers affected by the order were LP National Secretary Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim, National Organizing Secretary Mr. Clement Ojukwu, and another individual.

Additional plaintiffs in the case included Martins Esikpali John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zekeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, John Elomah, and Dr. Ayobami Arabambi.

However, Justice Muazu later granted a stay of execution on the suspension of the chairman, in a ruling delivered on May 19. This decision was subsequently aligned with by the Edo State High Court in a judgment on May 28, which declared Abure to be the genuine and legitimate national chairman of the Labour Party.

In the recent proceedings, the Court of Appeal affirmed the Edo State High Court’s verdict, highlighting that the suspension of the LP national chairman cannot be executed by a single individual, as per the guidelines outlined in Articles 13 and 17 of the Party’s Constitution and the prevailing Electoral Act of 2022.