A State High Court sitting in Edo on Friday dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, by some party members at the ward level.

The judge, Emmanuel Aihamoje, on Friday, threw out the case for lacking merit.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by the acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, who also confirmed that the action was filed by Abure and the executive members of the LP in Ward Three in the Esan North-East of Edo State.

In his judgment which lasted for nearly two hours, Aihamoje said the party ward executive members in Uromi in Ward Three lacked the power under the party’s constitution, particularly Act 13 and 17 and the Electoral Act 2022, as amended, to remove the national chairman of the party.

The judge, in suit no: HUC/21/2023, imposed a perpetual injunction against Lamidi Apapa and his faction from removing or suspending Abure as the national chairman until a new national convention of the party was convened.

Aihamoje further stated that the purported Ward Three executive members who suspended the national chairman of the party acted outside the powers vested on them by the Labour Party constitution.

Reacting to the ruling, the Ward 3 Chairman, Thompson Ehiguese, told journalists on the court premises that the judgment had put an end to impostors who were masquerading as members of the party in the ward.

He added, “These charlatans claiming to be members of our party are from Edo North and members of APC. I want to use this medium to congratulate the Labour Party and the ‘Obidient’ movement that stood firmly with Julius Abure while the sponsored crisis in our great party lasted.”

On his part, the state Chairman, Kelly Ogbaloi, said the Labour Party had been vindicated.

Counsel for the LP, President Aigbokhan, described the judgment as a landmark decision that would stand the test of time.

He said, “Any decision taken on the void notice of suspension falls effortlessly. The court in its decision emphasised that the role of ward executive members in the Labour Party does not include the suspension of national officers of the party.

When contacted, the spokesman of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction, Abayomi Arabambi, said he was planning to address a press conference to address the ruling.

As of the time of filing the report, nothing has been heard from him.

Punch