A State High Court sitting in Edo on Friday dismissed the notice of suspension issued against the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) , Julius Abure, by some party members at the ward level.

The judge, Justice Emmanuel Aihamoje, on Friday, threw out the case for lacking merit.

This was contained in a statement, issued in Abuja on Friday, by the Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, who also confirmed that the action was filed by Abure and the executives of LP Ward 3 in Esan North East of Edo State.

In his judgement, which lasted for nearly two hours, Aihamoje judged that the party ward executive in Uromi in ward 3 lacked the power under the Labour Party Constitution, particularly Act 13 & 17 and the Electoral Act 2022, as amended to remove the national chairman of the party.

The judge in Suit No: HUC/21/2023 therefore went ahead to impose perpetual injunction against Lamidi Apapa and his faction from removing or suspending Abure as the national chairman until a new national convention of the party is convened.

Aihamoje further stated that the purported wards 3 executive who suspended the national chairman of the party acted outside the powers vested on it by the Labour Party Constitution.

The Federal Government on Friday declared Monday, May 29, 2023 as a public holiday to commemorate the inauguration the 16th elected President of Nigeria.

The declaration was made by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in Abuja on behalf of the Federal Government.

A statement by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Interior, Shuaib Belgore, said the minister felicitated with all Nigerians on the momentous occasion, commending them for their faith in democracy as expressed in the nationwide election that produced the president-elect and his deputy being inaugurated and indeed in all elections across the nation.

He enjoined them to continue to support and promote democracy through adherence to the rule of law and uphold all democratic institutions.

“Democracy anywhere is an unfinished business and the only way it can keep developing and serve its end of being the vehicle to good governance and the welfare of all the people is by adhering to its tenets of rule of law, support for democratic institutions, promotion of free and responsible press and advancement of the frontiers of freedom for all the people,” the minister said.

Ogbeni Aregbesola urged the citizens to also continue to promote ideals of peaceful coexistence and love for our neighbours, noting that democracy could only be practised and its dividends enjoyed in a peaceful environment.

The minister commended all Nigerians for their strident efforts at achieving an unbroken civilian rule and successful change of governments since 1999.

The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the inauguration of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as president and vice-president respectively on Monday.

The apex court dismissed the suit by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, seeking their disqualification from the 2023 presidential election.

The court held that the PDP’s suit praying disqualification of Tinubu and Shetima was grossly lacking in merit and dismissed it.

Justice Adamu Jauro who delivered the lead judgment slammed a fine of N2 million on PDP for poke nosing into the internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the conduct of its primary elections and nomination of its candidates.

Justice Jauro agreed with Tinubu’s lawyer, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, that PDP acted as a busy body and meddlesome interloper in the ways and manners it dabbled in APC’s affairs unjustly.

The apex court held that apart from the fact that PDP lacked requisite jurisdiction to institute the suit, the party also failed to provide scintilla of evidence that Shetima engaged in double nomination.

The claim of PDP on the alleged double nomination of the Vice President-elect was described as most unfortunate and a clear deliberate mischief to mislead the court and the country.

The Supreme Court also agreed with Fagbemi that no matter the pains of PDP on how APC conducted its primary election and nominated its candidates, PDP must remain an onlooker.

“It is abundantly clear that the Appellant (PDP) in the totality of its position in the instant case, is peeping and poke nosing into the affairs of another party as a busy body and meddlesome interloper,” he said.

The court held that the action of PDP was painful because it used the social media to set a booby trap for the Supreme Court to blackmail it.

It said this was most unfortunate, unwarranted and uncalled for.