The Appeal Court judgement last Thursday on the Labour Party (LP) Imo State gubernatorial candidacy tussle has again ignited the factional leadership crises in the Party as the Lamidi Apapa led faction has claimed the judgement is in its favor.
A statement by the former Publicity Secretary of the Party, Dr. Abayomi Arabambi said the Appeal Court dismissed Julius Abure and Sen Achonu’s Appeal against Chief Ukaegbu Ikenga (LP Imo State guber Candidate) From Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa Led National Working Committee, NWC.
He said the court of Appeal, sitting in Owerri division, Thursday 20th July, 2023 rejected the candidate of the Abure-led faction in Imo state for the 11th November, 2023 Governorship Election and upheld that of the Apapa led faction.
According to the statement that it all started when Apapa, the then Deputy National Chairman of Labour Party LP assumed the position of Acting National Chairman of the party on 6th April, 2023 as a result of the FCT High Court Restraining Order of 5th April, 2023 that removed Julius Abure, the then National Chairman from office and three (3) others from Parading themselves as National Officers of the Labour Party LP.
“The situation was that of a double Jeopardy for Abure and his co-travellers which resulted from Abure’s suspension as a member of the party from his Ward in Esan, Edo State and the subsequent restraining Order by the FCT High Court on the other hand that stopped him from Parading himself as National Officer and Chairman of the party and the other three were also suspended as NWC members.
He also claimed that the Nigeria Police Investigation and Forensic Audit Report indicted Julius Abure, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Ojukwu Clement and Mrs Oluchi Okpara for: Forgery, Perjury and criminal conspiracy over unlawful substitution of party candidates in the INEC portal.
“The resultant effects of the double Jeopardy actions on Abure and others culminated in an emergency National Working Committee NWC meeting where Apapa was nominated and ratified to resume office in the capacity of the Acting National Chairman on 6th April, 2023
“The above NWC action conferred Apapa with the valid mandate for the conduct of all the primary elections for the party in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi States for the 11th November, 2023 Gubernatorial Election on 16th April, 2023.
“Surprisingly, Julius Abure whom the court restrained, and in disobedience to the Court Order, went ahead and conduct parallel primaries in those three states on 15th April, 2023, while the Apapa led Labour Party LP National Working Committee conducted their valid primaries on 16th April, 2023.
“To our greatest dismay, the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC colluded with Abure and accepted Abure’s candidates earlier with the baseless excuse that Abure had the INEC portal codes with which Abure and Farouk illegally uploaded their illegal and unlawful candidates.
“Dissatisfied with Abure’s submission of Sen. Athan Achonu’s name, one of the aspirants, Sir Basil Maduka who featured in Abure’s illegal primary on 15th April, 2023 approached the Federal High Court sitting in Owerri in a suit challenging the primaries and joined Chief Ukaegbu Ikechukwu Joseph Ikenga who did not participate in their illegal Primary along with INEC and Labour Party LP as first, second and third defendants.
10: The court, on the 23rd of June, 2023, in a considered judgment, upheld the candidates that emerged from the Lamidi Apapa-led NWC primary in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States respectively.
“Dissatisfied with the judgment, Abure and his co-travelers approached the court of Appeal, an In a unanimous decision today, Thursday 20th July, 2023, the court dismissed the Appeal and upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court of 23rd June, 2023.
“Delivering judgement after hearing the submissions of counsels to both parties on Thursday, 20th July, 2023, the three (3) man panel of Judges in a unanimous decision, nullified the Appeal for lacking competence.
“The implication of the judgment today is that, it is only the candidates that emerged from Apapa led NWC that are validly nominated for the Labour Party LP in the 11th November, 2023 governorship Election in IMO, BAYELSA AND KOGI states election 2023.
“This is victory for the Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa led Labour Party LP National Working Committee (NWC) and Democracy.”