back to top

Appeal Court affirms Abure as Labour Party national chairman

THE Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has affirmed Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

The court, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, upheld the October 8 judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to give the LP under Abure’s leadership all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in Nigeria.

In the judgment delivered on Friday, January 17, the lead judge, Hamma Barka, upheld the earlier judgment of November 13, 2024, which recognises Abure as the party’s national chairman.

The court affirmed that this decision had not been reversed by any other court.

Barka made this declaration in the ruling on two separate appeals filed by Esther Nenadi Usman, a former senator, who heads the caretaker committee of the LP and INEC.

The appellate court made it clear that it’s not its job to decide who leads the party, stressing that’ such a crisis could not be settled in court.

The court maintained that a previous judgment made by the Federal High Court on October 8, 2024 by Emeka Nwite was no longer valid because it was made without the court having the proper jurisdiction.

As a result, the Court of Appeal struck out that judgment and stated that its decision was consistent with other recent rulings, including one from the Supreme Court that affirmed the candidacy of an LP candidate in the Imo state governorship election.

The court reaffirmed its previous ruling, declaring Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, and struck out the suit challenging his leadership.

The ICIR reported that the Federal High Court in Abuja had declared Abure as the substantive national chairman of the LP. 

Read Also:

Delivering judgment in the suit on Tuesday, October 8, the judge, Nwite, affirmed the Abure-led leadership.

The court also recognised the March 2024 Nnewi convention that produced Abure and other executives of the party.

The judge ordered INEC to recognise Abure as the legitimate chairman of the LP, overturning the commission’s rejection of the Abure-led leadership.



The court upheld the plaintiff’s stand, citing convincing and verifiable documents.

The INEC had earlier claimed that the LP’s national convention held in Nnewi violated the Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Act and failed to meet legal requirements.




     

     

    The INEC claimed Abure’s tenure as LP chairman expired in June 2024 and refused to recognise him as the party’s national chairman.

    The commission stated this in response to a lawsuit filed by the LP challenging its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.

    The INEC’s legal team, led by Tanko Inuwa, a senior advocate, boasted that the LP’s lawsuit seeking declaratory reliefs would not be granted.

    The ICIR reported in September 2024 that the crisis in the LP got to its peak when the Abure-led faction withdrew the automatic ticket it previously earmarked for the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and Abia State governor, Alex Otti, for the 2027 presidential and governorship elections, respectively.

    Bankole Abe

    A reporter with the ICIR
    A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance

    Join the ICIR WhatsApp channel for in-depth reports on the economy, politics and governance, and investigative reports.

    Support the ICIR

    We invite you to support us to continue the work we do.

    Your support will strengthen journalism in Nigeria and help sustain our democracy.

    If you or someone you know has a lead, tip or personal experience about this report, our WhatsApp line is open and confidential for a conversation

    LEAVE A REPLY

    Please enter your comment!
    Please enter your name here


    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Support the ICIR

    We need your support to produce excellent journalism at all times.

    -Advertisement-

    Recent

    - Advertisement