Apapa appeals judgment reinstating Abure as LP chairman
Group asks court to deregister LP
Labour Party (LP) chief, Lamidi Apapa, has appealed a court ruling reinstating Julius Abure as the national chairman of the party.
Reacting to the appeal court ruling in Abuja, the fractional National Publicity Secretary of the party loyal to Lamidi Apapa, Dr Abayomi Arabambi, said the party had also obtained a stay of execution in respect of the judgment.
Recall that an appeal court sitting in Abuja on March 6 reinstated Julius Abure as the national chairman of LP, saying the High Court erred to have restrained him from parading himself as the national chairman of LP.
Reading the unanimous judgment, Justice Harmman Barka said the high court lacked jurisdiction to have listened to the matter at the first instance, describing the matter as purely an internal party issue, thereafter dismissing it in its entirety and awarding a cost of N1m against Apapa.
Arabambi faulted the ruling and said the party had filed an appeal at the Supreme court and had secured a stay of execution order.
He said: “The acting National Chairman of LP, Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, has successfully filed an appeal on the 6th day of March 2024 and has stayed the execution of the judgment delivered in favour of Julius Abure by Abuja court of Appeal in the Supreme Court through a motion for stay of execution filed on Thursday March 7,2024.”
“The Judgment of the court of appeal delivered on Wednesday, March 6 has now been put on hold as it cannot be executed since motion for stay of execution is already before the Supreme Court and has been served on Abure and his lawyers.”
MEANWHILE, a group, Incorporated Trustees of Centre for Reform and Public Advocacy, has asked the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exercise its powers under Section 225A of the Constitution to deregister Labour Party (LP).
The plaintiff is also asking the court to declare the continuous retention of Labour Party in the register of INEC as unconstitutional and void for being in breach of Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
Defendants in the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/301/2024, which was filed on March 7, include INEC, LP, Julius Abure and Lamidi Apapa as first to fourth defendants respectively.
The plaintiff is also asking the court to declare that the second defendant lacks the legal competence to sponsor candidate in any election being conducted by the first defendant under the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022, as the second defendant is in utter breach of Sections 223(1(a)(2)(a) and 222(a) of the 1999 Constitution.
