Edo High Court Dismisses Suspension Notice Against Labour Party National Chairman
In a ruling delivered on Friday in Benin, the Edo High Court has invalidated the suspension notice issued by certain ward executives in the state against Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
Abure and executives from Ward 3 in Esan North East, Edo State, challenged the suspension, contending that it was carried out unlawfully.
During the two-hour judgment, Justice Emmanuel Aihamo stated that the ward executives in Uromi lacked the authority, as outlined in the Labour Party Constitution (specifically Art.13 & 17) and the amended Electoral Act 2022, to remove the national chairman. As a result, the judge imposed a perpetual injunction, prohibiting Lamidi Apapa and any other individuals or factions from removing or suspending Abure until the party's national convention is convened.
Justice Aihamo further emphasized that the ward 3 executives who had suspended the national chairman had overstepped their powers as outlined in the LP Constitution.
Thompson Ehiguese, the Labour Party Chairman in Arueh Uromi, Ward 3, expressed his satisfaction with the judgment, stating that it had exposed impostors who falsely claimed to be party members while actually belonging to the APC, particularly from Edo North.
The ruling made it unequivocally clear that Julius Abure will remain the National Chairman until the party's convention next year.
President Aigbokhan, one of the lead counsels representing the Labour Party and Abure, hailed the judgment as a landmark decision that would endure over time. He emphasized that any decision based on the void suspension notice would be rendered ineffective.
Kelly Ogbaloi, the State Labour Party chairman, affirmed the party's vindication and hailed the court's verdict as delivered by Justice Aihamo. He stated that the judgment confirmed their earlier assertion that Apapa and his associates were mere power seekers.
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