Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Chief Ukeagbu Ikechukwu Joseph popularity known as Ikenga as the duly nominated candidate of the Labour Party, LP, for the Imo State Governorship Election.
Recall that on April, 5, 2023, the FCT High Court restrained Abure and others from parading themselves as National Officers of the Party and as a result, the Party appointed the Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa as the Acting National Chairman of the Party pursuant to its constitution.
Sequel to that, the Party under the leadership of Alhaji Apapa wrote to INEC changing its date of primary earlier scheduled by Abure 15th to 16th of April, 2023.
Notwithstanding the fact that he was under a restraining order, Abure still went ahead to conduct his primaries for Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa on 15th of April, 2023.
On the other hand, Lamidi Apapa led faction conducted his primaries for Imo on the 16th of April, 2023 and as such there were two primaries conducted by Labour Party in these States.
This led to litigation and the case was frantically descended and the Federal High Court, Owerri Division declared the primaries conducted by Apapa as the authentic candidate as Abure was under a restraining order as at the time he screened candidates and conducted his primaries.
Thus, the court recognized Alhaji Lamidi Apapa as the authentic Chairman of the Party.
Dissatisfied with the judgement, Abure candidate including the winner of the primaries appealed against the judgement to the Court of Appeal .
On Thursday, the Court affirmed the judgement of the Federal High Court that Abure’s conduct was contemptuous as he was under a restraining order when he conducted the said primaries.
Delivering the judgement, Justice H. Sankey, S. Ademola Bola and M. L. Abubakar said the restraining order is still in force even at the time the judgement was delivered.
By the judgement of Appeal Court, only the candidates produced by Apapa led primaries are the original Candidates of LP in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa’s Governorship Election scheduled for later this year.
