On Wednesday, a State High Court in Benin issued an order restraining the Labour Party and all its members from suspending any national officers of the party until a motion on notice is determined. The order was confirmed by the party’s lawyer, G. C. Igbokwe (SAN), who stated that the status quo must be maintained and no action should be taken that could result in the suspension of any national officer of the party.
The order comes after the entire leadership of the Labour Party in Edo State, including State, Local Government, and Ward executives, passed a vote of confidence on Abure, who was allegedly suspended by a factional group of the party. The party claimed that the group, led by Ward Chairman Martins Osigbemhe, is unknown to the party and is working for opposition political parties.
Chairman of the Edo State Chapter of the party, Mr. Kelly Ogbaloi, stated that the constitution of the party did not give any group or party member the power to suspend a national officer. He added that since Abure was elected by a national convention, those who claimed to suspend him were “imposters” and their actions were out of ignorance. No date has been set for the hearing.