Two courts have reportedly issued conflicting judgยญments on the sack of the national offiยญcers of the Labour Party (LP).
OsunDaily News recalls that Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territoยญry (FCT) had, on Wednesday, reยญstrained the National Chairยญman of the Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure; National Secยญretary, Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu, and one other from parading themยญselves as national officers of the party.
Justice Muazu gave the reยญstraining order upon an ex-parยญte application argued by Chief James Onoja (SAN).
The plaintiffs in the suit marked CV/2930/2023 are Marยญtins John, Lucky Shaibu, Isah Zeยญkeri, Omogbai Frank, Abokhaiu Aliu, Ayohkaire Lateef, Job Eloยญmah, and Abayomi Arabambi.
But in a twist,ย a state High Court sitting in Benin reportedly restrained the party from suspending its national officers till the deterยญmination of the motion on notice.
This was made known in a statement on Wednesday by the LP National Secretary, Umar Farouk.
According to Daily Independent, the statement quoted LP lawyer, G. C. Igbokwe (SAN), as saying that the court ordered that the status quo be maintained and no action which may result in the suspension of any nationยญal officer of the party be taken.
It read, โOur attention has been drawn to a latter order purยญportedly from another court of equal jurisdiction restraining my clients. Of course, such order is of no consequence and will have no effect until after the determiยญnation of the motion on notice.
โRecall that the entire leadยญership of Labour Party in Edo State, including the State, Local Government, and Ward execuยญtives on Monday had passed a vote of confidence on Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.
โThe party recalled that some groups who claimed to be Ward 3 executives of the party in Edo State, led by the Wardโs Chairman, Martins Osigbemยญhe, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman.
โHowever, in a solidarity visit to the Barrister Abure at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, the chapters said the Osigbemhe faction are unknown to the party and are working for the opposition poยญlitical parties.โ
Addressing reporters, the Edo State Chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, said no group or party member is empowered to suspend a national officer.
He stated that imposters who are not registered party members cannot suspend Abure, who was elected by a national conยญvention.
Ogbaloi added: โSo their action is out of ignorance. Those who did it donโt even understand the message they were asked to deliver.โ