Edo LP senator backs Abure’s removal
CHIGOZIE AMADI
The senator representing Edo South, Neda Imasuen, has said that the Supreme Court’s judgment sacking Labour Party National Chairman, Julius Abure, is a welcomed one.
Speaking to journalists in Benin on Saturday night, Imasuen, an LP Senator, described what has been happening in the Labour Party after the 2023 general election as unfortunate, noting that the party became a personal item for Abure.
He said Abure has been dragging the party in and out of court, and now that the Supreme Court has finally sacked him, the party will now be at peace.
He said, “Sincerely, I welcome the Supreme Court judgement that sacked Barrister Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party.
“A lot has gone on in the Labour Party after the 2023 general election, and it is very unfortunate. So, Abure, who was the chairman at the time, in my opinion, really didn’t have the party at heart because it had become a personal thing.
“It became something that didn’t really matter to them, and it was like, let’s fight and tear the party into pieces instead of preserving it. That sort of thing was not what I expected from someone who led the party at a time. And so he has been dragging the party in and out of court, and now that the Supreme Court has finally sealed it, so be it. It’s a welcome development.
“But the question for me and for all of us now is, where do we go from here? Someone spoke with me on the matter, and I said, I just hope that it’s not a little too late of what has just come up because the Labour Party is almost decimated. Most of the members have gone. Will this judgement bring them back? I don’t know. Will it energise those who are there now? Again, I don’t know. So, when it’s time, we’ll talk.”
On whether he would defect to the All Progressives Congress or stay in LP to seek re-election, he said, “Why do you say APC? It’s a good question, but whatever decision or direction I take, you’ll be the first one.”
The Supreme Court had on Friday removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had recognised Abure as the party’s national chairman.
The apex court, in its decision, held that the appellate court lacked the jurisdiction to make such a declaration, given that the substance of the case concerned the internal leadership of the party.
The court emphasised that matters relating to party leadership are internal affairs, over which the judiciary has no jurisdiction.
