Francis Ogbaugu 
Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, has described the Supreme Court judgment that sacked Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) as a welcome development.
Senator Imasuen, who won the 2023 Edo South Senatorial election on the platform of the Labour Party, said that Abure and others fighting over the party had no genuine interest in the party’s well-being.
Recall that the Supreme Court, on Friday, removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
In a unanimous decision by a five-member panel, the Apex Court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had recognized Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
The Supreme Court 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 emphasized that matters relating to party leadership are internal affairs, over which the judiciary has no jurisdiction, and observed that, based on the submissions before it, Abure’s tenure had already expired.
Consequently, it dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party.
Speaking to Journalists in Benin City, Edo State Senator Imasuen said those fighting were more focused on tearing the party apart than preserving it.
“Sincerely, I welcome the Supreme Court judgment that sacked Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party in Nigeria. A lot has gone on in the Labour Party, and it is very unfortunate. Abure, who was the chairman at the time, in my opinion, really didn’t have the Labour Party at heart because it became a personal matter.
“It became something that didn’t really matter to them, and it was like they wanted to fight and tear the party into pieces instead of preserving it. That sort of behavior was not what I expected from someone who led the party at the 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.”
The Senator, who has been at the center of controversy over the Senate’s suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Kogi West over her allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio, questioned whether the Supreme Court judgment would have any positive impact on the Labour Party, considering that many LP members have defected to other parties.
“But the question for me, and for all of us now, is where do we go from here? Someone spoke with me about the matter early this morning, and I said, I just hope that this isn’t too little, too late, because the Labour Party is almost decimated.
“Most of the members have left. Will this judgment bring them back? I don’t know. Will it energize those who are still there? Again, I don’t know. So, time will tell,” he concluded.
