• LP says Obi won’t leave party
Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal has affirmed Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
The appellate court, in a judgment delivered yesterday, also set aside the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which restrained Abure and two others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Justice Hamman Barka held that the high court was wrong to have assumed jurisdiction on the matter.
Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by Abure challenging the decision of the trial court, Barka, leading a three-member panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, held that Abure’s appeal had merit and was accordingly allowed.
He said: “The judgment of the lower court is hereby set aside” he held and awarded a cost of N1 million in favour of the appellant.
Meanwhile, the leadership of LP has warned those peddling news against Julius Abure to desist from further media trial of their leader but rather utilise legal options if they are convinced of their allegations.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, made the position of the party known on Wednesday immediately after the Court of Appeal’s judgment that affirmed Abure as the authentic chairman.
Obiora also indicated that the party’s national leader, Peter Obi, was not under any pressure to dump the party ahead of the 2027 General Election over the sustained smear campaign against Julius Abure.
He said Obi had 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.
He said: “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 have 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.”
