LP claims Appeal Court judgment another blow to rebel group
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Rebels led by Lamidi Apapa, all of whom have been expelled from the Labour Party (LP), twisted the latest Appeal Court judgment to suggest the sack of Julius Abure, whereas the ruling does not mention his name.
LP National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh made the clarification on Thursday after news broke that the party’s National Chairman was fired in the latest stanza of the rolling story of the battle between Abure and Apapa, who is allegedly funded by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to destabilise Peter Obi’s party.
Apapa and his fellow rebels claimed the court dismissed Abure as National Chairman and affirmed their candidate as the authentic Chairman, but Abure and his camp dismissed the claim as fake news.
Reports emanating from the Apapa group said the Appeal Court also dismissed the governorship and other candidates sponsored by the LP National Working Committee (NWC) led by Abuja and affirmed those sponsored by the NWC led by Apapa.
Ifoh insisted the report is hogwash.
“It is another devastating blow for the Lamidi Apapa led dissident group as the Court of Appeal Owerri, sitting in Abuja today, Thursday August 24, 2023, dismissed the appeal filed by one Mr Basil Maduka, who is contending for the Labour Party governorship candidacy for Imo State,” he said in a statement.
“The court further held that the appeal by the Labour Party was not necessary as the decision of the trial court was in its favour and that mere comments of the trial judge in the matter was NOT A JUDGEMENT and should be discountenanced.
“Labour Party had asked the Court of Appeal to quash the comments of the trial court in the Federal High Court Owerri. Labour party also told the court that Senator Athan Achonu won the party’s primaries.
“The attention-seeking camp of Lamidi Apapa had earlier today as usual misinformed the public by twisting the clear judgement of the appellate court.
“It is therefore important to state that neither the Federal High Court Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja today, made any orders in the matter other than for lack of locus standi against the plaintiff (Basil Maduka).
“Consequently, the status quo remains with Senator Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of Labour Party for 2023 Imo governorship election.”
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Dust settles on Imo governorship ticket, says LP
“With this Court of Appeal judgment and the endorsement of Senator Achonu by our national leader Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members, the dust has settled on the gubernatorial ticket issue,” Ifoh added, per Vanguard.
“Achonu has received the governorship flag of the party and has since flagged off his campaign with a well attended ceremony in Owerri on Tuesday.
“Recall that similarly, the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City recently affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of Labour Party (LP).
“In the case of Mr Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023) …. Justices Theresa Ngolika Orji Abadua, Fatima Omoro Akinbami and Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi in a unanimous decision dismissed the appeal of the Appellant.
“In his lead judgment Justice Abadua, while nullifying the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Abure and the party arising from the purported suspension, affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man cannot suspend the national chairman of Labour Party in line with Article 13 and 17 of the constitution of the party and the extant Electoral Act of 2022, particularly when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown.
“We are therefore calling on Labour Party members, the Obidient faithful and the general public to distance themselves from these falling and compromised members of the party who have since been shoved out of the party.”
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