BREAKING: Appeal Court sacks Abure, affirms Apapa as Labour Party Chairman

The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, has ruled that Julius Abure is no longer the National Chairman of the Labour Party. In a judgment delivered on Thursday, the court recognized Lamido Apapa as the legitimate national chairman of the party.

Additionally, the court invalidated the governorship candidacies of candidates from the faction led by Julius Abure, including Senator Athan Achonu, who was vying to contest in the upcoming Imo state elections. The court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge the governorship candidates from the Apapa-led faction in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo states and publish their names.

The leadership dispute between Abure and Apapa has been marked by back-and-forth legal actions. In a conflicting decision, a Court of Appeal in Benin City had recently affirmed Abure as the legitimate national chairman of the party.

Justice Abadua, in his lead judgment at the Owerri Court of Appeal, supported the Edo State High Court’s decision. He highlighted that, according to the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act of 2022, the national chairman of the party cannot be unilaterally suspended, emphasizing the role of collective decision-making.

The internal turmoil within the Labour Party came to a head earlier when members of the National Working Committee announced Lamidi Bashir Apapa as the acting chairman of the party, replacing the suspended Julius Abure. This decision was based on a judgment from the Federal Capital Territory High Court that restrained Abure from representing himself as the national chairman due to allegations of forgery involving him and three other party officials.