The Supreme Court on Friday, April 4, sacked Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP)
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had earlier declared Abure as the party’s national chairman.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous judgment, ruled that the appellate court lacked the jurisdiction to issue such a declaration, on the ground that the substance of the case has to do with the internal leadership of the party.
It also clarified that all matters relating to party leadership are internal affairs, over which the judiciary has no jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal filed by Senator (Mrs) Nenadi Usman (the party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman) and one other and held that it was meritorious.
It proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure’s faction of the LP for being unmeritorious.
Earlier Appeal Court Verdict Thrashed
On 17th January 2025, the Appeal Court in Abuja, in a judgment delivered by Justice Hamma Barka, recognized Abure as LP’s National Chairman.
Justice Barka, through the judgment upheld an earlier ruling of the court in November 2024, that recognized Abure as the party’s chairman.
The ruling voided a judgment of a Federal High Court in Abuja, delivered on October 8, 2024, because the lower court lacked the jurisdiction to hear the suit.
“We cannot say this appeal fails or succeeds because the lower court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place,” Barka held.
The judgement of the apex court bring to a closure the leadership crisis in the party which pit Mr. Abure and his National Working Committee members against he founders of the party which included the labour unions.
Critical stakeholders, including former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Gov. Alex Otti of Abia State, in trying to resolve the impasse, constituted the transitional Caretaker Committee. The committee was tasked with reconciling warring factions of the party and organizing a credible national convention acceptable to all.
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