The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, has removed Julius Abure and officially recognized Lamido Apapa as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The court's decision also mandates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to promptly acknowledge and release the names of governorship candidates endorsed by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.
Moreover, the court rejected the gubernatorial candidacy of Senator Athan Achonu from Imo State and others aligned with the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party. This recent development contradicts the Court of Appeal's previous ruling in Benin City, Edo State, affirming Abure as the National Chairman, which was reported on August 14.
Apapa, who claimed his suspension from the party was invalid, had declared himself the legitimate acting chairman in April. Earlier, in May, an Edo State High Court dismissed the suspension notice issued against Abure by certain party members at the ward level, deeming the case without merit.