BREAKING: A’Court sacks Abure, affirms Apapa as LP National Chairman in Owerri

By Bisi LAWAL

…Orders INEC to recognise Apapa-led NWC governorship candidates

Julius Abure was on Thursday sacked as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The Court of Appeal which sacked him in Owerri, Imo State, recognised Lamido Apapa.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately recognise and publish the names of all the governorship candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.

The court also dismissed the governorship candidature of Senator Athan Achonu of Imo State, and others belonging to the Abure-led LP faction.

Recall, in April, Apapa said his suspension as a member of the party was invalid, noting that he remained the ‘legitimate acting chairman.’

A Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State capital, affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party in August. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh.

Prior to this, a State High Court sitting in Edo dismissed the notice of suspension issued against Abure by some party members at the ward level. The judge, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, threw out the case for lacking merit.