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From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
Controversies have trailed the court judgment, which restrained the Apapa Lamidi-led National Working Committee (NWC) and annulled the suspension of Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) as the Lamidi camp has rejected the development and dismissed it as inconsequential.
A State High Court sitting in Edo State on Friday, ordered members of the Apapa-led NWC to stop parading themselves as cational chairman and officers of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Julius Abure-led NWC, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement disclosed that Justice Emmanuel Okey Aihamoje of the Edo High Court dismissed the notice of suspension issued against Barr. Julius Abure by some Ward 3 executives in Esan North East, Edo State.
Ifoh said that Justice Aihamoje had ruled that the party ward executives in Uromi in ward 3 lacked the power under the Labour Party Constitution particularly Articles 13 & 17 and the Electoral Act 2022 as amended to remove the national chairman of the party.
The implication, Ifoh said, meant that the suspension on Abure had been lifted and Apapa and his group perpetually restrained from acting as national officers of the party.
Reacting, however, Spokesperson of the Apapa-led NWC, Abayomi Arabambi, described the judgment as a mere academy exercise that held no weight.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Arabambi said that the effect of the Benin “judgment would have just merely restored back Abure’s membership of the party since he is still restrained from parading himself as national officer of the party. Unfortunately, NEC, which is the highest organ of the party, in its meeting held in Bauchi on the 3rd of May, 2023, further suspended Abure and some others members of the party for attending an illegal NEC meeting purportedly called by Julius Abure while the restraining Order of the FCT High was still subsisting.”
He said: “Simply put, by virtue of the restraining Order of the FCT High Court which is yet to be vacated or set aside, Abure still remains restrained. Also, by virtue of the NEC suspension of Abure, pursuant to its powers under Article 13(2)(b)(Iv) of the Labour Party Constitution in the Bauchi, Abure remains suspended.
“The whole world is aware that Mr Alex Ijetieme on Friday, May 12, 2023, filed an appeal against the decision of the FCT High Court which ordered the suspension and restraining of Julius Abure and three others from parading themselves as national officers pending the determination of the originating summon and motion on notice.
“Question begging for an answer is when a matter is before a court of Appeal, can any junior court sit or adjudicate on such matter again until when the appellate court decide otherwise? The answer is in negative. Therefore, the Edo State high court judgement is an exercise in futility, null and void as the subject matter is already a subject of appeal before Court of Appeal Abuja.”
