Court bans Labour Party Chairman from Party Secretariat

Agency ReporterFebruary 2, 2018

0 2 minutes read

Posted by: Jegede Seun, Abuja

An Abuja Area Court order has issued an order restraining the embattled national chairman of the Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam from parading himself as the national chairman of the party and from entering the party’s national secretariat pending the determination of the suit before it.

The Deputy National Chairman and National Secretary of the party, Chief Calistus Okafor and Barrister Julius Abure respectively has gone to court seeking to restrains the embattled former National Chairman, Abdulsalam or his representative from stepping into the party office and to stop parading himself within the properties of the party office pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

Making the order, Presiding Judge, Aliyu Ibrahim said, “the defendant/respondent is hereby restrained either in person by his Prives, Agents or any person or body claiming through him from trespassing or stepping into the party office and to stop interference with the properties of the party and the office (Labour Party) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has refused to recognize Dr. Mike Omotosho as the acting National Chairman of the party after a National Convention of the party held on the 3rd of October 2017 removed Alhaji Abdulsalam ‎as the substantive chairman of the party.

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the body that registered the Labour Party has asked all parties in the dispute tearing the party apart to maintain status quo ante, pending the outcome of its intervention.

The party had earlier in a petition to the Commissioner of Police, FCT command in December alleged that the inability of INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu ‎from respecting the outcome of the party’s convention is capable of jeopardize Labour Party as well as posing a threat to National security and peaceful co-existence of the party.

Alhaji Abdulsalam was accused of financial recklessness, breach of trust, forgery, misappropriation and criminal intimidation.

According to the petition, the party alleged that Abdulsalam “recruited the services of heavily armed thugs and forcefully chased out staff and 19 members of the National Working Committee from the office. At the moment our office is occupied by heavily armed thugs. We are however amazed at the highest level of impunity and oppression which we have been subjected to in our own country especially in the 21st century under the administration of our amiable president who has zero tolerance for corruption.”