Pepple vs Dokubo: Labour Party crisis in Rivers gets messier

<p>The factional chairman of the Labour Party in Rivers State, Dienye Pepple, has dismissed a report that a Rivers State High Court on Monday, declared the faction of the party led by Hilda Dokubo as the authentic leadership of the party.</p>, <p>The Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party had in March 2023, appointed Dokubo as the Chairman Steering Committee of the party in the state, after the national leadership of the party dissolved the Rivers State Executive Council, following their adoption of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the then governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.</p>, <p>Pepple and members of his faction dragged the party, Dokubo and four others to court, praying the court to determine if Abure has the sole right to dissolve the state executive and that the party has no steering committee in its constitution.</p>, <p>Briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, Pepple stated that the court, presided over by Justice C Adangor, ruled that it lacks jurisdiction to handle matters of internal party crisis, adding that the matter was academic, as several developments have overtaken the prayers of the defendant.</p>, <p>“We read some publications and some fake news flying about a particular court judgement and so we want to put the record straight.</p>, <p>“In April, we approached the court when the former national chairman of Labour Party, in the person of Julius Abure, dissolved the Labour Party State Executive exco in Rivers State.</p>, <p>“And we approached the court on two major prayers; 1) that the court should interpret whether Abure has the sole right to dissolve a state exco. 2) whether there is anything like a Steering Committee in the Labour Party constitution, because he appointed a Steering Committee for one month.</p>, <p>“But along the line, other events came along and overtook our prayers, because Abure was removed and restrained by a Federal High Court in Abuja on April 5, and then one of the Deputy National Chairman was appointed by the NWC as the acting chairman.</p>, <p>“Now, the