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…Says Abure, others remain party leaders
By Bimbola Oyesola, [email protected]
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has expressed displeasure on the ruling suspending four leaders of the Labour Party (LP) by an Abuja High Court, vowing that the workers would be in court for the next hearing.
The NLC president, Joe Ajaero, said the four leaders remained the leaders of the party irrespective of the court ruling.
“On the next adjourned date, we are going to be in court in our numbers to listen to the judge,” he said.
Ajaero said the congress was alarmed by the ex parte decision of Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to suspend from office the national chairman, national secretary, national treasurer and the publicity secretary of the Labour Party, Messrs Julius Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim, Clement Ojukwu and Opara, respectively.
He described the case against them as unfounded/unproven and highly speculative and malicious allegations of corruption, perjury and forgery by elements whose interest in the party could best be described as doubtful or dubious.
He said, “The court order according to Justice Hamza Muazu is to subsist ‘pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice for interlocutory injuction.’
“The ruling was sequel to a motion exparte filed along the substantive suit by eight so-called aggrieved members of the party including the chairman of the party in Abure’s ward.”
He said organised labour viewed the decapitation of the leadership of the party with great suspicion, which cannot be far from the intent to weaken the party from within or distract it from its fight to reclaim its victories at the polls.
“In light of this, we urge the courts to exercise utmost caution in entertaining frivolous suits and spurious prayers from mercenary party members as they are capable of compromising the integrity of the courts,” he said.
Ajaero said NLC similarly join the league of those who canvass against the casual use of exparte in light of the grievous of the injuries they quite often inflict.
According to Ajaero, the extant court order does not only violate the principle of presumption of innocence, a cardinal pillar of our judicial system, but an affront to justice itself.
He stated, “We find it curious that while ex-convicts continue to occupy ample space in the public service or space without let or hindrance, those yet to be found guilty are already being harangued or hounded are being debarred from holding office.”
Noting the continued relevance of the nation’s courts, which he said cannot be divorced from the quality of their decisions or rulings, Ajaero advised courts to refrain from taking decisions which portray them as “having descended into the arena, or worse still, make them picketable.”
“On our part, the grounds for suspending the quartet, either in the courtroom or outside it, are not there even as mischievous forces orchestrate evil.
“The quartet therefore remain executives of the party. In light of the foregoing, we invite the honourable court to review its decision forthwith,” he said.
