Politics

Apapa Appeals Judgement Reinstating Abure As LP National Chairman

Published

2 years ago

March 10, 2024

Alhaji Lamidi Apapa has appealed the Appeal Court ruling reinstating Mr. Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

Addressing newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital on Sunday, the National Publicity Secretary of the party loyal to Lamidi Apapa, Abayomi Arabambi, said the party has obtained stay of execution in respect of the judgement.

It would be recalled that an Appeal Court sitting in Abuja on 6th March, 2024, reinstated Julius Abure as the National Chairman of Labour Party, saying that the High Court erred to have restrained him from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.

Reading the unanimous judgement, Justice Harmman Barka, said the High Court lacked jurisdiction to have listen to the matter at the first instance, describing the matter as purely an internal party issue, thereafter dismissing it in its entirety and awarding a cost of N1m against Apapa.

But addressing newsmen on Sunday in Abeokuta, Arabambi faulted the ruling and said that the party has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court and had gotten a stay of execution order.

“The Acting National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa has successfully filed an appeal on the 6th day of March 2024, and has stayed the execution of the judgement delivered in favour of Julius Abure by an Abuja Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court through a motion for stay of execution filed on Thursday the 7th day of March 2024.”

Arabambi alleged that “Julius Abure had earlier before today forged the seal of the judge of FCT, forged the Commissioner of Oath signatures and generated his own TSA receipts without making any payment to federal government consequently upon which the police established a prima facie case against him for forgery, criminal conspiracies and perjury.

“You would also recall that on the 12th May, 2023, the FCT High Court presided over by Hon. Justice Hamza Mua’zu dismissed the Notice of Preliminary Objection filed by Abure and ors challenging the jurisdiction of the court to hear the Originating Summons filed by Martins Esikpali & Ors basically on the ground that there was an allegation of crime and that it’s a contentious issues in the said summons and as such, not suitable for Originating Summons which inherently meant that the case ought to have been commenced by Writ of Summons so that oral evidence can be taken.

“As stated earlier the said objection was dismissed as the court held that it has jurisdictions as the case has to do with construction of documents submitted before it simpliciter without more.

“Abure and 3 ors then appealed to the Court of Appeal.

“Therefore, the issue before the Court of Appeal was whether the issues raised in the case were contentious or not. If the court says the case was contentious, all that the Court was required to do was to ask parties to convert the Originating Summons to Writ of Summons and order parties to file pleadings so that the case can be heard on the merits at the trial court i.e, FCT High Court.

“Surprisingly, the Court of Appeal in a rather strange manner, went on the voyage of discovery totally out of context to deliver judgment touching on the substantive case as if the appeal was against a final judgment.”

Apapa described the Appeal Court as “perverse” and said he has appealed immediately to the Supreme Court on five grounds and more grounds will be filled once the CTC of the judgment is obtained by the lawyers.

“The judgement of the Court of Appeal delivered on Wednesday 6th day of March, has now been put on hold as it cannot be executed, since motion for stay of execution is already before the Supreme Court and has been served on Abure and his lawyers.”

Up Next

Fresh Suit Asks Court To Deregister Labour Party, Bar Its Candidates

Don't Miss

IWD: Ighodalo Salutes Women, Calls For Increased Investment In Education, Entrepreneurship For Women

Comments

Politics

Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

Published

1 day ago

December 7, 2025

Editor

Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.

The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.

Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.

The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.

Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.

North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.

The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.

The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.

The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.

He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.

“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.

“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”

Politics

PDP Issues Certificate Of Expulsion To Wike, Fayose, Anyanwu, Others

Published

5 days ago

December 3, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said it has issued certificate of expulsion from the party to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and other 10 members earlier expelled from the party.

The party National Chairman, Tanimu Turaki, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen after the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

The other members, according to him, include the embattled National Secretary, Sen. Samuel Anyanwu, the Legal Adviser, Kamarudeen Ajibade, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose.

They also included Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa, Austin Nwachukwu, Abraham Amah Nnanna, George Turna and Chief Dan Orbih, expelled during the party National convention in Lagos.

Turaki said that the original copies of the certificate had been dispatched to the owners through a courier service to serve as proof that they were expelled from the PDP.

“We have taken note of the fact that Nigerian law frowns on dual membership of political parties, and so we have sought to make it easy for them.

“Now that they are no longer members of our party, and now that the National Convention, which is the highest decision-making organ of our party, has expelled them, we have decided to issue them certificates of expulsion.

“So, when they go to register with other political parties in Nigeria, they will show these certificates as proof that they are no longer members of the PDP.

“By that, those parties will not accuse them of trying to belong to more than one political party,” he said.

He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, including the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services, and other government agencies, to take note.

“Very soon, members of the society will be informed via proper disclaimers that any person henceforth who decides to do business with them, any or all of them, does so at his or her own risk.

“They are no longer members of the PDP. They have been expelled,” he added.

He added that the NWC also reviewed some of the cases filed against the party and lawsuits instituted by the party, particularly the one that related to the “unlawful and illegal” closure of the party’s national Secretariat, the Legacy House, and the Wadata Plaza.

“The brief we received from our lawyers is that we are on sound ground, and that very soon, the law will take its course,” he said.

Turaki said the NWC was prepared to be saddled with the responsibility of performing its functions as the leading opposition party in Nigeria.

“We are going to provide a credible alternative to Nigerians. We are going to provide credible leadership to Nigerians by the special grace of God from 2027,” he said.

Politics

Adebayo Adedamola Wins Osun PDP Governorship Primary

Published

6 days ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

Adebayo Olugbenga Adedamola, popularly known as FRYO, has emerged as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the August 8, 2026 governorship election in Osun State.

The primary election took place in Osogbo on Tuesday amid heavy security presence.

Announcing the result, chairman of the primary election committee, Humphrey Abba, stated that Adebayo secured 919 votes out of 957 accredited ballots, giving him a clear victory in the contest.

Explaining that there were 20 void votes following the withdrawal of one of the candidates, believed to be Governor Ademola Adeleke, Abba added, “The candidate that got the remaining votes is Adebayo Adedamola with 919 votes and he stands elected and returned.”

DAILY POST reports that despite announcing his resignation from the party, Adeleke’s name appeared on the ballot paper for the PDP governorship primary.

Party officials said the exercise was conducted in accordance with established guidelines, with accredited delegates participating in the voting process.

Adeleke announced his resignation in a letter dated November 4, 2025, and addressed to the PDP leadership at his ward.

On Monday, Osun PDP chairman, Sunday Bisi, had announced that the governorship primary slated for Tuesday, December 2, 2025, has been postponed due to leadership crisis at the national level.

But a faction of the party went ahead with the exercise in Osogbo on Tuesday.