Court strikes out suit challenging Arabambi-led Ogun Labour Party

Adejoke Adeleye/Abeokuta

A Federal High Court in Abeokuta has struck out a suit challenging the Abayomi Arabambi-led executive of Labour Party in Ogun State.

The suit was filed on 26 January, 2018 by Chief Biodun Owolabi, Alhaji Ibrahim Babalola, Segun Oloye and Chief Owolabi claiming to be the authentic executives of the party in the state following the congress of the party held on 22 January, 2018.

In the writ of summon filed by their counsel, Kehinde Bamiwolu, they prayed the court for a perpetual injunction restraining Arabambi and others from representing further interest of the party.

They also prayedthe court to declare the congress that produced them as the valid one and nullify the alleged parallel congress held at Park Inn Hotel, Abeokuta wherein Arabambi-led executives of the party were elected.

Joined in the suit were the National Chairman of Labour Party, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, Hon Ladipupo Adebutu, PDP governorship aspirant for the State who the claimants alleged was working hands in hand with the Arabambi-led executives to hijack the structure of the party in the state.

However, the Arabambi-led executives and other defendants through their counsel, M O Mawah, K M Abimbola and others urged the court to strike out the case for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the matter. They argued that the claimants, Chief Owolabi and others were not members of Labour Party and lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

The counsel submitted further that the plaintiffs have also failed to exhaust the internal remedy of the party according to article 27(8) of the party’s constitution hence, the court should strike out the case.

Striking out the case, Justice Ibrahim Wakila held that there was no place where the claimants in their applications before the court stated that they have exhausted the internal remedy of the party as provided by their party’s constitution before rushing before the court and that a member of an organization must be bound by its rules hence the decision of the court to strike out the case.

Justice Wakila, among others, held that the claimants’ counsel also failed woefully to establish any reasonable cause of action against all the eleven defendants leaving the court with no choice than to strike out the case.

He ordered the claimants to pay N50,000 each totaling N550,000 to the eleven defendants in the suit.