Court orders Labor Party, Obi supporters not to organize rally at Lekki tollgate

The Labour Party (LP) and its followers are not allowed to hold a rally at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, according to an order from Justice Daniel Osiagor of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos.

On October 1, 2022, a gathering for the party’s Forward Ever campaign was scheduled to take place at the Lekki tollgate.

The judge also ordered the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Police Commissioner to ensure compliance with the order while making a decision on a motion for injunction filed by 10 plaintiffs, who are asking the court to, among other things, restrain the LP, its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, his running mate, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, its national chairman, Julius Abure, and their supporters from holding the rally at that location.
According to Justice Osiagor, the rally can pass by the location in order to reach Falomo Bridge and other locations where the participants intend to congregate.

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In the meantime, the court was unable to hear the defendants’ preliminary objection, which was filed to prevent the court from considering the motion on the grounds that it lacked jurisdiction and could not be considered because all parties to the lawsuit had not been served. Instead, the judge postponed the substantive lawsuit hearing until November 4, 2022.

The plaintiffs claimed in the lawsuit that a repetition or commemoration of the “infamous” #EndSARS protest in 2020 under the political cover of “#Obidatti23 Forward Ever Rally” would disrupt the peace and lead to post-traumatic stress disorder for them and the public.