15 hours Ago By Our Reporters
By Our Reporters The protracted leadership crisis in the Labour Party (LP), which many expected would be finally resolved by the Supreme Court on Friday, has instead deepened, with both factions laying claim to victory over the ruling. The judgement, which set aside an earlier Court of Appeal verdict recognising Barrister Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman, has generated varied interpretations, with Abure and former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, both claiming the judgement is in their favour. Supreme Court ruling In its judgement, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure as LP national chairman, having earlier found that the substantive issue before the court was party leadership — a matter deemed an internal affair.
The lead judgement, prepared by Justice John Okoro and read by Justice Mohammed Baba Idris, noted that since the case filed at the Federal High Court centred on LP’s leadership, it was not justiciable. Obi, Labour Party mourn Doyin Okupe Protests as another Labour Party Rep Joins APC Consequently, the apex court set aside both the trial and appellate court decisions recognising Abure as chairman and struck out the LP’s suit for lack of jurisdiction. “In summary, both the trial court and the lower court have no jurisdiction to have entertained the suit by the first respondent (LP),” the court stated.
“Flowing from the above, the decisions of the trial court and the court below recognising Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the first respondent are hereby set aside.” It also dismissed a cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction, describing it as unmeritorious, while allowing the main appeal brought by Senator Usman and another party. The apex court warned political parties to respect their constitutions and internal processes, urging party officers whose tenures had expired to vacate their positions.
The ruling is seen as reinforcing the principle that leadership matters within political parties should not be settled by the courts. The judgment followed appeals against the October 8, 2024 decision of Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, which had directed INEC to recognise Abure’s leadership. On January 17, 2025, the Court of Appeal reaffirmed Abure’s chairmanship, a ruling that has now been nullified by the Supreme Court.
LP legal adviser speaks Speaking with reporters, LP’s National Legal Adviser, Barrister Kehinde Edun, said the Supreme Court had clarified that courts should not decide on political party leadership matters. He stated, “That it is not the business of the court to say this is chairman or this is not chairman. And the Supreme Court agreed and said everybody should respect party supremacy.
” Edun said the ruling validated the convention that elected Abure and the current NEC, whose tenure he maintained was still in effect. “This judgment is actually an indictment of the so-called caretaker committee, because there’s no mention of such a body in the party’s constitution,” he said. According to him, the judgement did not invalidate the November 13, 2024 Appeal Court decision affirming Abure’s leadership, as it was not appealed.
“That judgment is still valid and enforceable. The court only set aside the pronouncement made in the Nenadi Usman appeal, not the entire body of prior rulings,” Edun said. Abure, Usman claim victory Despite the Supreme Court’s decision, both Abure and Usman have interpreted the judgement in their favour.
In a statement shortly after the ruling, Senator Usman, who chairs the LP’s caretaker committee, described the judgement as a triumph for the rule of law and democracy. “There is no victor and no vanquished. What matters most is our shared commitment to the ideals and aspirations of the Labour Party and the Nigerian people.
We must now come together, united in purpose and vision, to move the party forward,” she said. She urged LP members and stakeholders to remain calm and focused, emphasising the party’s unity in building a new Nigeria based on justice and equity. However, Abure, through a statement signed by the LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, insisted that the Supreme Court judgement did not remove him from office.
He argued that the ruling merely held that the courts lacked jurisdiction to interfere in internal party matters, thus striking out both Senator Usman’s appeal and LP’s original suit. “The Supreme Court judgment didn’t sack LP National Chairman Barrister Julius Abure; rather it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high court and appeal court judgments upholding the immutability of responsibility of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders,” the statement read. He added that the Appeal Court judgement in Labour Party vs Ebiseni & Others(CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024), which upheld his leadership on November 13, 2024, remained valid and had not been appealed.
Abure emphasised that the party’s Constitution clearly outlines who is empowered to convene meetings and conventions, noting that the convention held on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, had produced valid leaders, including himself. He argued that the gathering in Umuahia which purportedly removed him was not in accordance with the party’s Constitution and urged members to respect the Supreme Court’s position, which reaffirmed the autonomy of political parties in handling their internal affairs. LP Reps caucus backs Abure’s sack Meanwhile, the LP caucus in the House of Representatives welcomed the judgement, describing it as a step toward restoring stability within the party.
In a statement issued Friday, Rep. Afam Victor Ogene, Chairman of the caucus, said the ruling marked “a veritable tonic for the revitalisation of the party.” He said, “Following the clear-cut judgment, the Labour Party will hasten to implement necessary mechanisms to restore internal peace and get the party back on track.
” The caucus revealed that the National Caretaker Committee, led by Senator Usman, was expected to convene a stakeholders’ meeting within the week to map out a path forward. They expressed regret that the leadership crisis could have been avoided had Abure heeded their calls for caution. “In March 2024, LP Reps called for the postponement of the National Convention of the party to allow for further consultations.
Instead, the party leadership launched attacks against us, threatened our re-election tickets and accused us of anti-party activities,” Ogene said. Background to LP’s multifaceted crises The LP, which had a strong showing in the 2023 general elections under Peter Obi, has long struggled with internal divisions. Leadership crises have plagued the party since 2020, following the death of Alhaji Abdulsalam.
His demise sparked a struggle for succession, ultimately leading to Abure’s emergence as acting chairman in March 2021 and subsequently national chairman. Tensions, however, intensified in 2023 and 2024, culminating in the removal of Abure by the NEC and the formation of a caretaker committee — a move he challenged in court. While the discordant tunes on the LP’s crises and the Supreme Court ruling currently raged, it is expected that the certified true copy (CTC) of the apex court judgement would shed more light to which side the pendulum of the LP politics and its national leadership position would swing.
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Court of Appeal Julius Abure Labour Party Supreme Court.
