By Kamsi Anayo
The crisis rocking Labour Party (LP) took a fresh dimension as two conflicting court orders from two courts of competent jurisdictions were issued to its national officers and some ‘suspended members of the party.
A State High Court sitting in Benin on
Wednesday issued an order restraining LP and all its members from any suspension or purported suspension of its national officers till the determination of motion on notice.
An Abuja High Court same day restrained the National Chairman of the LP, Julius Abure, National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim and two others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
Justice Hamza Muazu issued the restraining order while ruling on an ex-parte application argued by Chief James Onoja, SAN.
But in a statement signed by the National Secretary of the party, Farouk, the party confirmed that its lawyer G. C. Igbokwe, SAN, has got a High Court order directing that status quo is maintained and no action which may result in the suspension of any national officer of the party be taken.
The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a latter order purportedly from another court of equal jurisdiction restraining my clients. Of course, such an order is of no consequence and will have no effect until after the determination of the motion on notice.
“Recall that the entire leadership of LP in Edo state including the State, Local Government and Ward executives on Monday had passed a vote of confidence on Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party.
“The party recalled that some group who claimed to be ward 3 executives of the party in Edo State, led by the Ward’s Chairman, Martins Osigbemhe, had earlier announced the suspension of the LP national chairman.
“However, in a solidarity visit to Barrister Abure at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, the chapters said the Osigbemhe faction is unknown to the party and they are working for the opposing political parties.
Mr Kelly Ogbaloi, Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the party, while addressing newsmen said that the constitution of the party did not empower any group or party members to suspend a national officer.
Ogbaloi said that since Abure was elected by a national convention, “imposters “who are not registered party members cannot suspend him, so their action is out of ignorance. Those who did it don’t even understand the message they were asked to deliver.”
