The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, has ruled to oust Julius Abure and recognize Lamido Apapa as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. As a result of this decision, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been instructed to promptly acknowledge and publish the names of all the governorship candidates endorsed by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.
Furthermore, the court invalidated the governorship candidacy of Senator Athan Achonu of Imo State, and others associated with the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party.
This ruling overturns a previous Court of Appeal decision in Benin City, Edo State, that had affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party. It was reported earlier in April that Lamido Apapa asserted the invalidity of his suspension from the party and maintained his position as the “legitimate acting chairman.”
In May, a State High Court in Edo dismissed a suspension notice issued against Abure by some party members at the ward level, citing a lack of merit in the case. This recent ruling from the Court of Appeal in Owerri represents a significant shift in leadership within the Labour Party.