Victor EzejaThe Federal Capital Territory High Court has lifted the suspension of Labour Party National Chairman, Barr Julius Abure and other national officers of the party.
Justice Hamza Muazu of the FCT High Court on Friday granted an order of stay of execution of the suspension.
The plaintiffs in the case are Martins Esikpali John; Lucky Shaibu; Isah Zekeri; Omogbai Frank; Abokhaiu Aliu; Ayohkaire Lateef; John Elomah, and Ayobami Arabambi.
Abure, his National Secretary, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu and Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, were on April 5, barred from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
READ ALSO: Court Suspends Labour Party’s Chairman, Secretary, Others From Parading As National Officers
The order granted by Justice Muazu was based on an exparte application brought by James Onoja SAN, who claimed that the affected national officers allegedly forged several documents of the FCT High Court to carry out unlawful substitutions in the 2023 general elections.
According to him, such documents included receipts, seals and affidavits of the court, which he claimed the party officials used to carry out criminal activities.
Following the April 5 ex-parte injunction, Alex Ejesieme, SAN, counsel for the defendants had on April 20 argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
Ejesieme had submitted that the matter before the court bordered on the internal affairs of the Labour Party, adding that criminal allegations made by the plaintiffs in the case could not be ventilated in an originating summon.
He added that the eight plaintiffs that brought the case before the court were not members of the National Executive Council of the party and, as such, lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.
Ejesieme said: “Our contention is very clear that those criminal allegations cannot be ventilated in an origination summon.
“The issue of locus standi is there. When you refer to LP’s constitution, the claimants are not members of NEC or the party.
“They have a duty to present their membership cards to the court which they didn’t.”
While objecting to the preliminary objection raised by the counsel for Mr Abure, the counsel for the plaintiffs, George Ibrahim, urged the court to dismiss the same.
According to him, the first to fourth defendants had yet to obey the 5 April order of the court as they were still parading themselves as national officers of the LP.
During the Friday sitting, the defendants told the court they had a notice of appeal pending at the Court of Appeal.
After listening to arguments from the parties, the judge granted the order for a stay of execution pending the determination of the appeal filed by the defendants.
Meanwhile. Abure, and three other affected national executive members of the party on Thursday announced their return to the party secretariat.
Abure made this known while addressing journalists at a world press conference in Abuja where he stated that all suspended national executive members have resumed office following a motion for a stay of the execution of the order lodged at the Court of Appeal.
“Having appealed and file a motion for a stay which has been served on the judge, I and my colleagues have now fully assumed our constitutional responsibilities as National Officers of the party,” Abure said.
He added: It is pertinent to state categorically that Labour Party has no faction. It has only one leadership and that is the National Working Committee led by myself, Barrister Julius Abure.”
He accused the Lamidi Apapa-led group of burgling the party secretariat while acting on the purported restraining order granted by the FCT High Court, adding that out of desperation, the disgruntled party members could not wait for the final decision on the matter before going ahead to appoint themselves as National Officers of the Party.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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