•Party assures Obi won’t leave over smear campaign
•No court has found leader guilty of fund diversion
Chuks Okocha and Alex Enumah in Abuja
The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State capital, has affirmed Comrade Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
This was as the party leadership, yesterday, said its national leader, Peter Obi, was not under any pressure to dump the party ahead of the 2027 general election in lieu of Abure’s ordeals, saying no court has found him guilty of alleged fund diversion.
In the case of Mr. Lucky Shaibu v. Julius Abure & 5 ORS (Appeal No: CA/B/93/2023), Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji Abadua JCA, Fatima Omoro Akinbami JCA and Justice Sybil O. Nwaka-Gbagi, in a unanimous decision, dismissed the appeal of the appellant.
One Lucky Shauibu, who claimed to be a member of Labour Party in Ward 3 Executive in Esan North East Local Government Area of Edo State, had suspended the chairman of Labour Party, causing a ripple of other effects.
In her lead judgement, Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji Abadua, affirmed the decision of the High Court of Edo State and held that one man could not suspend the national chairman of Labour Party in line with Article 13 and 17 of the Constitution of the party and the extant Electoral Act of 2022, particularly, when the appellant has been described by the party as unknown.
The court unanimously nullified the earlier suspension and all actions taken against Abure and the party, arising from the purported suspension.
In a swift reaction to the judgement, Abure hailed the judgement and team of justices, who refused to close their eyes to the justice of the case. He also thanked the team of lawyers led by GC Igbokwe (SAN).
“I thank the Obidient Movement who tarry with me and Mr Peter Obi while the impostor Mr Lamidi Apapa and his adherents who tried to trade off the mandate freely given to the Labour Party with billions of Naira expended by his paymasters in the opposition parties,” Abure said.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Labour Party has warned those disseminating falsehood against Abure, using every social media platform, to desist from further media trial and approach the court if they convinced of their allegations.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, the party said Obi has restated his willingness to remain in the party knowing that all the attacks at Abure were sponsored and orchestrated by some political opponents in the high places.
“It astonishes us how far our detractors can go in ensuring that the party swims from one ocean of crisis to another in their evil desire to create disharmony between the party and our leaders.
“We are aware that Abure is not the target of these ferocious and malicious missiles. We are also aware that huge sums of money has been mapped out to wage a propaganda war against our leader ahead of the 2027 general election.
“The feat of the Labour Party in the last general election rattled not a few persons and the fear of the future has driven them to begin so early to prepare ahead. Part of the strategy is to make any political platform unviable for Obi to sail with.”
The spokesman of the party said that they are also aware that any political party Obi finds himself in as a vehicle for the 2027 presidential election including the Labour Party, would not be spared by the political hirelings who are already recruited to dismember such a party.
