Tension in Labour Party as Appeal Court Affirms Lamidi Apapa as National Chairman

Tension continued to brew on Thursday as an Appeal Court in Owerri recognized Lamidi Apapa as Labour Party Chairman after sacking Julius Abure.

ENigeria Newspaper reports that the issue of the Labour Party Chairmanship has been in contention for months, hence creating some cracks within the party.

The Appeal court in its judgment on Thursday ordered the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately uphold and publish the names of all the governorship candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.

The court further invalidated the primary election which produced Senator Athan Achonu as the governorship candidate of LP Imo State, and others belonging to the Abure-led LP faction.

ENigeria Newspaper reports that only in April, Lamidid Apapa said his suspension as a member of the party was invalid, noting that he remained the ‘legitimate acting chairman.’

Furthermore, On August 14, a Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State capital, affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh.

Prior to this, on May 26, a State High Court sitting in Edo dismissed the notice of suspension issued against Abure by some party members at the ward level. The judge, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, threw out the case for lacking merit.