Nigeria’s Court of Appeal sitting in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday, sacked Julius Abure, and recognised Lamidi Apapa as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise and publish the names of all the governorship candidates produced by the Apapa-led National Working Committee in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states.
The court also dismissed the governorship candidature of Senator Athan Achonu of Imo State, and others belonging to the Abure-led LP faction.
Recall that on August 14, a Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City, Edo State capital, affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. This was disclosed in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh.
With today’s Appeal court judgment, it is sad that even the divisions of Nigeria’s Court of Appeal can be giving contradictory judgements on the same issue as if they are in supremacy tussle or have become tools in the hands of the Nigerian politicians.
Court of Appeal is the same. So, which of the two contradictory judgments is INEC going to obey?
It remains now that the two contradictory judgments or at least one of them will have to go to Supreme Court which has no divisions for final decision which will let INEC know what to do. So sad.