2 weeks Ago By Felix Ifijeh, THEWILL
April 04, (THEWILL) – The Supreme Court on Friday nullified the recognition of Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, effectively ending his leadership tenure at the helm of the opposition party. Delivering a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which had previously affirmed Abure’s chairmanship. THEWILL recalls that the Court of Appeal, in a judgment delivered on January 17, 2025, upheld an earlier decision dated November 13, 2024, recognising Abure as the party’s national chairman.
That ruling had also set aside the October 8, 2024, judgment of the Federal High Court by Justice Emeka Nwite, which removed Abure from office. However, the factional leadership of the party led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, who heads a caretaker committee, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, challenging the jurisdiction of the appellate court to interfere in what it termed the internal affairs of the party. In its ruling on Friday, the Supreme Court agreed with the appellants, holding that leadership disputes within a political party are not justiciable and fall outside the purview of the courts.
The court further declared that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had since lapsed and voided the decision of the Court of Appeal which reinstated him. In a final blow to Abure’s faction, the apex court also dismissed a cross-appeal filed by his camp, bringing the legal tussle over the Labour Party’s leadership to a close—at least for now..
