LABOUR PARTY: COURT AFFIRMS ABURE, FINES APAPA

LABOUR PARTY: COURT AFFIRMS ABURE, FINES APAPA
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Julius Abure as the authentic National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP after vacating an order of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, which barred the Abure-led Executives from piloting the affairs of the party.
In its lead decision read by Justice Hamma Barka, the appellate court faulted the lower court which it said wrongly assumed jurisdiction in the matter. It says the case of the Lamidi Apapa-led faction of the party was incompetent. The Court further notes that since the issues raised bordered on fraud and criminality, it ought to have been commenced through a Writ of Summons, allowing calling of witnesses.
It further queried the statutory powers of Ward Executives of a political party to suspend the National Officers.
More so, the appellate court held that issues the Plaintiffs raised before the high court, bordered on the domestic affairs of a political party which no court was permitted to delve into.
Aside from upholding Abure’s appeal the appellate court awarded a cost of N1million against the the Lamidi Apapa-led factions