Victor EzejaJulius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party has insisted that he remains the national chairman, despite Supreme Court judgment on Friday regarding the party’s leadership crisis.
Prime Business Africa reported that a five-member panel of the Supreme Court removed Abure from office by setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had recognised him as the Labour Party national chairman.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThe apex court said the matter is an internal affair of the political party and courts have no jurisdiction to settle it.
The Supreme Court gave the verdict on Friday, ruling on an appeal brought by Senator Nenadi Usman, appointed caretaker chairman in September 2024. It held that Ms Usman’s appeal was valid, and dismissed the cross-appeal brought by Mr Abure’s group of the LP as lacking merit.
Also, clarifying the judgment, one of the lead counsels to the appellant, who spoke to newsmen after the court proceedings, Barrister Chinedu Eze, said the implication of the judgment is that Abure ceases to be the national chairman of Labour Party.
However, while reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, who is in the Abure faction, claimed that the Supreme Court judgment upheld Abure as national chairman of the party.
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Ifoh claimed that the apex court didn’t sack Abure as the party’s national chairman, adding that it struck out Senator Usman’s appeal at the Appeal Court and the Labour Party suit at the trial court.
“The supreme court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party national chairman Barrister Julius Abure, rather it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts and appeal court judgments upholding the immutability of responsibility of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders.,” Ifoh stated.
Continuing, he said: “The judgment did not also set aside the Appeal Court judgment in Labour Party vs Ebiseni and 2 others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on the 13 November 2024, which affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The judgment is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed. The implication is very clear. Barrister Julius Abure remains Labour Party national chairman.”
However, in a statement on Friday, Usman, a former Minister of Finance and ex-senator representing Kaduna South, maintained that the Supreme Court allowed the appeal she filed, declaring it meritorious, but dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party as unmeritorious.
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She pointed out that the outcome is a victory for the rule of law and a significant milestone for the country’s democracy.
Usman, who was appointed to lead a 29-member caretaker committee, emphasised that “this is not a time for triumphalism, adding that “there is no victor and no vanquished.”
She stressed the need for members to unite with a united purpose and vision to move the party forward.
“We must now come together, united in purpose and vision, to move the party forward.
“The Labour Party remains one indivisible family, steadfast in its mission to create a New Nigeria founded on justice, equity, and people-centered governance. We call on all party members, supporters, and stakeholders to remain calm, focused, and committed to the democratic ideals that bind us,” Usman added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
