The Labour Party (LP) has dismissed claims that its party leadership, led by Julius Abure, has been sacked by the Appeal Court.
Instead, the LP said it was another devastating blow for the Lamidi Apapa-led faction as the Court of Appeal in Owerri dismissed the appeal filed by one Mr Basil Maduka, who it said is contending for the Labour Party governorship candidacy for Imo State.
The LP, therefore, called on members, supporters and the general public to distance themselves from what it described as “falling and compromised members of the party”, who it said have since been shoved out of the party.
The party in a statement issued on Thursday by the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, claimed that Apapa’s camp had misinformed the public by twisting the judgement of the appellate court.
There was confusion as the Court of Appeal in Owerri on Thursday reportedly sacked Julius Abure as Labour Party National Chairman.
It was also alleged that the court, in the same judgement, recognised Lamidi Apapa as the National Chairman of the party.
According to the statement, the court held that the appeal was not necessary as the decision of the trial court was in its favour and that mere comments of the trial judge in the matter was not a judgement and, therefore, should be discountenanced.
Ifoh explained that the Labour Party had asked the Court of Appeal to quash the comments of the trial court in the Federal High Court in Owerri and also told the court that Senator Athan Achonu won the party’s primaries.
He further added that “It is, therefore, important to state that neither the Federal High Court Owerri nor the Court of Appeal Owerri, which sat in Abuja today, made any orders in the matter other than for lack of locus standi against the plaintiff (Basil Maduka).”
The party rather insisted that “the status quo remains with Senator Athan Achonu as the validly nominated candidate of Labour Party for 2023 Imo governorship election”.
Explaining further, Ifoh stated that the Court of Appeal judgement and the endorsement of Senator Achonu by its national leader Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, the Labour Party National Chairman Julius Abure and other stakeholders and party members, have settled the gubernatorial ticket issue.
