The National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, has announced his return to the helm of the party during a press conference held at the party’s Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
Bellnewsonline.com reports that while assuring party members and the public of the party’s unity, Abure emphatically stated that there were no factions within the Labour Party.
Furthermore, Abure exposed the unsuccessful efforts of the suspended Deputy National Chairman, Apapa Lamidi, to create a faction within the party. He revealed that Lamidi’s attempts were effectively thwarted, as the Labour Party remained steadfastly united under his leadership.
Abure also made it known that the FCT High Court in Abuja no longer held jurisdiction over a lawsuit seeking a restraining order against him.
He said, “Having appealed and file a motion for a stay which has been served on the judge, I and my colleagues have now fully assumed our constitutional responsibilities as National Officers of the party.
“It has become imperative for me to address this press conference to properly put the legal issues surrounding the leadership of the party in proper perspectives. It is pertinent to state categorically that Labour Party has no faction. It has only one leadership and that leadership is the National Working Committee led by myself, Barrister Julius Abure.”
Recall that one month Julius Abure, and three other national executive members were barred by Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal High Court in Abuja from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
The judge had declared that Abure, along with his National Secretary Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim, and National Organizing Secretary Clement Ojukwu, should no longer be recognized as party executives.
The order, which was issued in response to an ex-parte application presented by Chief James Ogwu Onoja, SAN, highlighted the alleged forgery of several documents from the FCT High Court. The accused officials reportedly used these falsified documents for illicit substitutions during the recently-held 2023 general election.
During the court proceedings, Chief James Ogwu Onoja, a legal practitioner, informed the court about the unlawful activities of the implicated national officers. He emphasised that the forged documents included receipts, seals, and affidavits of the court, which the party officials allegedly employed in the commission of their criminal actions.
The court found these claims to be substantial and subsequently ruled in favor of removing the accused individuals from their positions within the party.