A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has scheduled a ruling for May 12 on the preliminary objection by the suspended chairmen of the party, Julius Abure against the suit challenging his continued stay in office.
Justice Hamza Muazu chose the date on Thursday after taking arguments from lawyers to parties in the suit.
The court had upon an ex parte application on April 5, restrained Abure, Alhaji Farouk Ibrahim (National Secretary); Oluchi Opara (National Treasurer); and Clement Ojukwu (National Organising Secretary), from further parading themselves as party officials.
On April 17, Justice Muazu declined a request to vacate the interim order restraining Abure, Ibrahim, Opara and Ojukwu from further parading themselves as national officers of the Labour Party.
While arguing his clients’ preliminary objection on Thursday, the lawyer to Abure and others, Ben Nwosu queried the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that the suit relates to the leadership if the party, which constitutes an internal affair of the party.
Nwosu insisted that the issue being an internal affair of the party, renders it non-justiceable.
He also contended that the suit was incompetent and that the court lacks the jurisdiction to hear it.
The lawyer to the eight claimants, George Ibrahim asked the court to dismiss the defendant’s preliminary objection and grant their reliefs accordingly for being meritorious.
Ibrahim informed the court that his clients have initiated contempt proceedings against Abure, his co-defendants and the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) for allegedly acting in breach of an existing order of court.
Ibrahim noted that in spite of a subsisting interim order, the defendants went ahead and held an executive council meeting.
“My lord, the defendants should all note that the order restraining them from parading themselves as national officers of Labour Party still subsists,” he said.