By Vivian Okejeme
A Federal Capital Territory High Court, will on May 12, rule on the preliminary objection by Julius Abure, the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, in respect of a suit challenging his continued stay in office.
Justice Hamza Muazu fixed the date after listening arguments canvassed by the parties in the matter.
The court had upon an ex parte application on April 5, restrained Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim (National Secretary); Oluchi Opara (National Treasurer); and Clement Ojukwu (National Organising Secretary), from further parading themselves as party officials.
Similarly, on Monday April 17, Justice Muazu declined a request to vacate the interim order restraining Abure, Ibrahim, Opara and Ojukwu from further parading themselves as national officers of Labour Party.
The party officials were restrained by the court on grounds of alleged fraud, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
The order followed a suit challenging Abure and his co defendants’ continued stay in office.
However, at a resumed hearing on the suit in respect of the embattled officers’ suspension on Thursday, Abure and his co defendants in their preliminary objections maintained that the lawsuit borders on leadership crisis, which they argued, is an internal affairs of the party.
Arguing through their counsel, Ben Nwosu, the defendants insisted that the issue being an internal affairs of the party, renders it non justiceable.
It was the argument of the defendants that the suit was incompetent and that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
On their part, the eight claimants represented by George Ibrahim asked the court to dismiss the defendants’ preliminary objection and grant their reliefs accordingly for being meritorious.
Ibrahim told the court that the Claimants have also filed contempt proceedings against Abure, his co-defendants and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress for allegedly acting in breach of an existing order of court.
Ibrahim informed the court that in spite of a subsisting interim order, the defendants went ahead and held an executive council meeting.
“My lord, the defendants should all note that the order restraining them from parading themselves as national officers of Labour Party still subsists”, Ibrahim stressed.
Justice Muazu fixed May 12 to rule on the preliminary objections.
