Court rules in suit seeking to sack LP chairman Abure, others

Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court in Abuja held on Friday that the court has jurisdiction to entertain suits filed by some members of the Labour Party (LP).

The suit is seeking the removal of the party’s chairman, national organising secretary, and national treasurer, respectively, Julius Abure, Clement Ojukwu, and Oluchi Opara, NAN reports.

Justice Muazu held that it is no longer the law that the court cannot adjudicate in political parties’ matters.

The judge further held that if the party had been at peace with itself, there would not be any need for the court to interfere in its affairs.

“When there is no crack on the wall, there will not be a need for an outsider to come to mend it,” he said.

Muazu further held that the plaintiffs’ case is justiciable, contrary to the submission of the counsel for Abure and Farouk, Alex Ejesieme, SAN.

He added that the plaintiffs were equally right to have instituted the case through originating summons.

On the issue of plaintiffs’ locus standi to bring the matter before the court, the judge held that being members of the LP, they have the locus standi to institute the case.

Following the April 5 ex-parte injunction by Justice Muazu stopping Abure, Farouk and two other national officials, Ejesieme argued on April 20 that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter.

The senior advocate submitted that the matter before the court bordered on the internal affairs of the Labour Party.

He said: “Our contention is very clear that those criminal allegations cannot be ventilated in an origination summon. The issue of locus standi is there. When you referred to LP’s constitution, the claimants are not members of NEC or the party. They have a duty to present their membership cards to the court, which they didn’t.”