The Labour Party’s (LP) Chairman, Julius Abure, has been confirmed by the Abuja Court of Appeal.
The Appellate Court also overturned the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court’s judgment last year to prohibit Abure and two others from acting as the party’s national officers.
The Appellate Court ruled, as Justice Hamma Akawu Barka JCA did, that the high court erred in assuming jurisdiction over the case.
The Appellate Court also imposed a cost of one million Naira in favor of Abure and against the respondent, Lamidi Apapa.
Last year, Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory High Court obtained an ex-parte judgment directing Abure and two other national officers to stop representing themselves as party leaders for allegedly fabricating national documents, but the Appellate Court overturned the decision.
The Appellate Court found Abure’s appeal to be meritorious and hence allowed it.
Following the 2023 presidential election, which saw LP’s Peter Obi finish third, Abure has been embroiled in a protracted court battle with Apapa, who claimed the party’s chairmanship.
Abure was arrested on February 21 in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, with viral footage showing him being manhandled by police officers, despite efforts by LP supporters to avoid his arrest.
According to the police, Abure was arrested for attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, and other charges. The LP chairman was later released on bail the next day after protests by LP members.