A court has sacked Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to recognise the Nenadi Usman led executive of the party.
The decision followed an expanded stakeholders meeting of the Labour Party held in Umuahia Abia State and hosted by the state governor Alex Otti. The meeting which brought together key leaders and stakeholders of the party resolved to remove Abure from office and endorse a new leadership structure.
The stakeholders meeting was chaired by Abure’s former ally and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election Mr Peter Obi. The outcome of the meeting deepened the leadership crisis within the party and set the stage for a protracted legal battle over its national leadership.
Dissatisfied with his removal Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking judicial validation of his position as National Chairman of the Labour Party. In the suit marked FHC ABJ CS 1271 2024 Abure urged the court to declare him the lawful national chairman of the party.
In an affidavit personally deposed to in support of the suit Abure told the court that following the death of the former National Chairman of the Labour Party he was lawfully elected as Acting National Chairman at a National Executive Council NEC meeting held in Benin City Edo State on March 29 2021.
He further stated that on April 18 2023 the party held another NEC meeting in Asaba Delta State which was duly monitored by INEC. According to him the meeting resolved to renew the tenures of state chairmen whose terms had expired. He added that the NEC also expelled some members accused of engaging in anti party activities and filled the vacant positions created by the expulsions.
Abure told the court that based on a consensus reached at that NEC meeting the party subsequently convened its National Convention on March 27 2024 in Nnewi Anambra State. He maintained that it was at the convention that he was lawfully elected as the substantive National Chairman of the Labour Party.
He also argued that under his leadership the party successfully produced candidates for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states a development he said underscored the legitimacy of his leadership.
The Federal High Court and later the Court of Appeal upheld Abure’s claims and ordered INEC to recognise him as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The decisions appeared to temporarily settle the leadership dispute in his favour.
However Abure’s position was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court which nullified the concurrent judgements of the two lower courts. In its lead judgement prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro the apex court allowed the appeal filed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee Senator Nenadi Usman and Hon Darlington Nwokocha respectively.
The Supreme Court dismissed a cross appeal filed by Abure and faulted the process through which he sought to retain his position. The court stressed the need for political parties to strictly adhere to their constitutions and internal rules in the appointment and tenure of their officers.
In a stern warning the apex court implored officials of political parties whose tenures have elapsed to learn to vacate their positions when due rather than resort to litigation to remain in office.
Following the judgement the court ordered INEC to recognise the Nenadi Usman led executive as the legitimate leadership of the Labour Party effectively ending Abure’s tenure as national chairman.
The ruling is expected to have far reaching implications for the Labour Party as it seeks to stabilise its internal structure and reposition itself ahead of future electoral contests.
