Court strikes out suit challenging Arabambi led LP excos in Ogun

A federal high court sitting at Abeokuta yesterday struck out the suit challenging the Abayomi Arabambi led executive of Labour Party in Ogun State.

The suit dated 26th of January, 2018 was filed by Chief Biodun Owolabi, Alhaji Ibrahim Babalola and Hon.Segun Oloye where in Chief Owolabi and others claimed to be the authentic executives of the party in the state following the Congress held on 22nd of January, 2018 during which time they were elected according to the party’s constitution.

They had in a writ of summons filed by their counsel, Kehinde Bamiwolu and others prayed the court for a perpetual court injunction restraining Arabambi and others from representing further interest of the party, declare the congress that produced them as the valid one, nullify the alleged kangaroo and parallel congress held at Park Inn Hotel, Abeokuta wherein Arabambi led executives of the party were elected among others.

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 Arabambi led executives to hijack the structure of the party in the state.

However, the Arabambi led executives and other defendants through their counsels, 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, lack the locus standing to institute the suit and 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 also held that the claimants’s counsels 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 sum of N50,000 each totaling N550,000 to the eleven defendants in the suit.