Members of two factions of the Labour Party (LP) engaged in a heated exchange on Thursday, following a session at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The session involved a hearing for an application to discontinue a lawsuit against the LP’s Imo governorship candidate, Athan Achonu, in the upcoming Nov. 11 gubernatorial election.
During the proceedings, Justice Inyang Ekwo adjourned the hearing until Jan. 11 after Kehinde Edun, who represented the LP as the 1st plaintiff, informed the court of their intention to file a discontinuance notice in the matter.
Upon resumption of the hearing, Edun, who also identified himself as the National Legal Adviser of the LP, stated, “On behalf of the 1st plaintiff, we want to inform the court that the 1st plaintiff was joined without authorization. I am here to file a Notice of Discontinuance. We have no case against the defendant (Independent National Electoral Commission).”
Surprised by Edun’s statement, Anderson Asemota, who had been representing all the plaintiffs, including the 1st plaintiff (LP), insisted that the matter was scheduled for a hearing. He mentioned being served with a notice of joinder by Imo governorship candidate, Achonu, through his lawyer, Okwudili Anozie, who had earlier filed for joining the case.
Addressing Asemota, the judge acknowledged the claim made by Edun, questioning the authorization of the suit. Asemota, in response, contested Edun’s authority as the party’s National Legal Adviser. He further mentioned the presence of the National Youth Leader in court, emphasizing the lack of communication from the LP on the discontinuation of the suit.
At this point, a back-and-forth ensued, with Asemota arguing that Edun should have formally applied to join the matter before notifying him of the plan to file a notice of discontinuance. The judge then inquired if Edun had served Asemota with the application, to which Edun responded, “I will serve them now.”
Consequently, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until Jan. 11 to hear the Notice of Discontinuance.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Asemota represented the Alhaji Lamidi Apapa faction, while Edun appeared for the Julius Abure-led faction of the LP.
Following the court’s adjournment, members loyal to Apapa appeared in court, challenging Edun’s move to discontinue their suit, leading to a commotion that prompted the intervention of security personnel and court staff.
