Appeal Court Upholds Julius Abure as Labour Party National Chairman

The Appeal Court has affirmed Julius Abure as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party, solidifying his leadership amidst internal disputes.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has confirmed that Julius Abure is still the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

A three-member panel of the appellate court, with Justice Hamma Barka delivering the judgment, declared that its November 13, 2024 decision recognizing Abure as national chairman remains valid and has not been overturned by any other court.

Justice Barka announced the declaration while delivering judgments on two distinct appeals submitted by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, as well as by both the caretaker committee and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the two separate appeals, the appellate court stated that it did not address the Labour Party’s leadership matter since such issues are not subject to judicial review.

The appellate court stated that actions taken outside of jurisdiction are considered void. Therefore, the judgment delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court on October 8, 2024, holds no effect as it was issued without proper jurisdiction.

While dismissing the suit due to lack of jurisdiction, he noted that the appellate court had depended on its prior judgment from November 13 of last year, which stated that “Abure Remains National Chairman of the Labour Party.”

In his October 2024 judgment, Justice Nwite confirmed the leadership under Abure and validated the national leadership established at the March 2024 convention in Nnewi.

Justice Nwite also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge Abure as the rightful chairman, overruling the Commission’s previous position that had deemed Abure’s leadership as invalid.

According to him, “I believe and affirm that based on these clear and verifiable documents, the defendants’ attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the plaintiff’s leadership is unsuccessful.”

The plaintiff has successfully established his case. Therefore, I issue an order requiring the defendant to grant Barrister Julius Abure’s political party all rights and privileges that are afforded to a properly registered political party in Nigeria.

INEC contended that the national convention of the Labour Party breached both the Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Act, asserting that the party did not fulfill legal requirements necessary to conduct such a convention.