Labour Party crisis created by judiciary, Osuntokun insists

Director General of Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Akin Osuntokun, yesterday, pinned the judiciary to the crisis currently rocking the opposition party.

He said the judgment by Justice Hamza Muazu of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court ordering LP’s National Chairman, Julius Abure and others to stop parading themselves as officers engendered the infighting.

Osuntokun maintained that the judge had the option of retaining the chairman, while the case goes on, adding: “But he rather chose an option, showing that he was setting the party up for crisis.”

He reiterated that Abure enjoys support of all members, deploring anti-party activities of the factional chairman, Lamidi Apapa.

“There is nothing going on (in Labour Party) other than the crisis of the judiciary. It is a judge, the judiciary that made a judgment that is now responsible for creating a crisis in the Labour Party,” Osuntokun said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily yesterday.

He went on: “There was a judge here, who in his discretion, said Abure, who has been chairman from the primaries of the presidential candidate, for the governorship, candidates for the National Assembly and State of Assemblies, should no longer parade himself as chairman, what do you make of that?

“Look at who and who brought the case to him? The judge is a Nigerian. He should have made a more logical position at his discretion.

“Does it mean that if a clerk brings a matter to the court against the Labour Party, he would pass judgment based on that?”

Justice Muazu had, on April 5, issued the restraining order, while ruling on an ex-parte application.

Following the ruling, the Deputy National Chairman of the party (South), Apapa, declared himself acting chairman.

However, an Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City, on April 6, restrained the party from suspending Abure and other national officers until determination of the motion on notice.