The Court of Appeal in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday, sacked Julius Abure, and recognised Lamido Apapa as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The court also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission 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.

In April, Apapa said his suspension as a member of the party was invalid, noting that he remained the ‘legitimate acting chairman.’

On August 14, the PUNCH reported that 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.

Prior to this, on May 26, The PUNCH reported that a State High Court sitting in Edo dismissed the notice of suspension issued against Abure by some party members at the ward level. The judge, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, threw out the case for lacking merit.