On September 25, 2023, an X (formerly Twitter) user tweeted a picture of Lamidi Apapa, the factional chairman of the Labour Party and a “Salient Times” newspaper front page. The tweet reads “BREAKING: Supreme Court confirms Lamidi Apapa as LP National Chairman.”
As of the time of this report, the tweet has garnered over 400k views.
A longer version of the tweet was posted by “Salienttimesonline.com.ng” on their website.
Claim: Supreme Court confirms Lamidi Apapa as LP national chairman
Verification:
The Labour Party started a legal tussle when Lamidi Apapa declared himself as the ‘original’ chairman of the party as against INEC-recognised Julius Abure faction. In the 2023 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognised and published the candidates list submitted by the Abure-led party structure.
On April 5, 2023, Apapa who used to be the vice-chairman (south) of LP, was declared the acting chairman by an FCT high court following an ex parte application for interim injunction restraining and suspending Abure, and three officials of the party. The Judge declared that the exparte application has merit. In addition to the court order, Apapa alleged that the party leadership held an emergency meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) and they affirmed his leadership of the party.
On May 26, 2023, an Edo State High Court quashed the suspension of Julius Abure by some executive members of his Ward 3 in Esan North East local government area. The action was filed by Abure and some other executives of the ward against the suspension. The Judge ruled that the party ward executive in Ward 3 lacks the power under the LP constitution, particularly Articles 17 & 19 and the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended), to remove the National chairman of the party.
The CDD War Room found an Appeal Court judgement dated August 24, 2023 that ruled that Abure should stop parading himself as the chairman of the Labour Party. The Appeal Court sitting in Owerri, Imo State, affirmed Lamidi Apapa as the substantive National chairman of LP.
In what seems to be a contradictory ruling, another Appeal Court verdict affirmed Julius Abure as the National chairman of the Labour Party. In a unanimous decision by the three-man justices of the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Julius Abure was affirmed as the National chairman of the Labour Party.
The decision was corroborated by a statement made by Obiora Ifoh, the party’s National publicity secretary. However, counsel to Apapa, Monday Mawah, revealed that the Appeal Court judgement granted in Edo did not affirm Abure as the party’s chairman; it only ruled that his suspension by his ward executives remains illegal. Hence, the Labour Party reported Mawah to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee for engaging in unprofessional conduct against their party.
The CDD War Room can confirm that on September 28, 2023, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment in favour of Julius Abure’s LP faction regarding the Imo state guber election slated for November 11. The court dismissed the appeal by Basil Maduka against the Labour Party over the rightful candidate of the party in the election on the grounds of locus standi.
Two other respondents in the case were the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the candidate of the Lamidi Apapa faction Joseph Ukaegbu, alias Ikenga, whose request to seek a consequential order was also rejected by the Supreme Court.
The Labour Party spokesperson and National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ofoh, while reacting to the judgement, released a press statement. In the statement, he said, “With this judgement by the highest court in Nigeria, the Lamidi Apapa’s plot to hijack the affairs of the Labour Party, including the powers to nominate candidates, has finally come to an end. We can confirm that the Supreme Court judgement delivered by panel of five justices led by Iyang Okoro did not confirm Lamidi Apapa as the National chairman of the Labour Party.
Verdict: FALSE
Supreme Court did not confirm Lamidi Apapa as the Labour Party National chairman. The ruling of the Supreme Court upheld the Julius Abure faction’s gubernatorial candidate in Imo state as the representative of the Labour party. There was also no mention of Lamidi Apapa as the National chairman in the apex court verdict.
Featured Image: Sahara Reporters
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