*As Supreme Court Nullifies Judgment Recognising Abure As Labour Party National Chairman
THERE are discordant tunes and different interpretations of the Supreme Court verdict of Friday, April 4, nullifying the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Mr. Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
Recall that a five-member panel of the court, in a unanimous decision, held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure as national chairman of the party, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership, which was an internal affair of a political party, over which courts lacked jurisdiction, noting that Abure’s tenure had since expired.
While allowing the appeal filed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and one other, saying it was meritorious, the apex court went ahead to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP for being unmeritorious.
The court reiterated that the matter was strictly an internal party affair of a political party, which courts have no business adjudicating.
Before now, the Court of Appeal had ruled in January this year that Abure remained LP’s national chairman, even though it held that the leadership of a political party was beyond judicial intervention, having dismissed a lower court ruling by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court invalidating Abure’s position.
While the judgment technically ended Abure’s claim to the party’s national leadership, it ostensibly throws the party into further crisis of vacuum, as the fight for control of its leadership rages on.
In her reaction to the apex court judgment, Usman, Chairman of the Caretaker Committee, said the party remained steadfast in its mission to create a new Nigeria, stating: “The recent ruling by the Supreme Court is a victory for the rule of law and a significant milestone for our democracy.
“It is important to emphasise that this is not a time for triumphalism; 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.
“The Labour Party remains one indivisible family, steadfast in its mission to create a New Nigeria founded on justice, equity, and people-centred governance.
“We call on all party members, supporters and stakeholders to remain calm, focused, and committed to the democratic ideals that bind us. A New Nigeria is POssible!”
But National Publicity Secretary of the Abure faction, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement in Abuja, hailed the judgment, saying it validated the party’s position that political matters were strictly internal affairs.
A few hours later, the party called a press conference, where Ifoh refuted reports that the apex court sacked the party leadership.
He said: “The Supreme Court judgment didn’t sack 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 judgement did not also set aside the Appeal Court judgement in Labour Party vs Ebiseni and two others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024), delivered on 13 November 2024, which affirmed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The judgement is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed.
“The implication is very clear- Abure remains the Labour Party national chairman. The question is: who are the leaders of the party? The party constitution is clear as to who the leaders of the party are. The leadership of the party has been the National Working Committee (NWC), led by Abure.”
He stated that the party’s constitution was also clear on who had the power to call for the national convention or any national meeting, based on Article 14 of the 2024 Constitution (as amended), which gives powers to the national secretary of the party “to issue notices of meetings of the national convention, national executive council, the national working committee in consultation with and approval of the National Chairman.
“Accordingly, the national convention of the party was called by the leadership of the party on March 27, 2024, where the leaders of the party emerged. The report of the national convention is already with INEC and that leadership is recognised by INEC.
“The gathering of people in Umuahia is clearly not in line with the constitution, and therefore, the celebration by some persons that the leadership of Julius Abure has been sacked is only trying to be mischievous and misleading; the Supreme Court didn’t say so.”
He appealed to all LP members to abide by the Supreme Court judgment and always resort to internal party mechanisms in resolving party affairs and not to always rush to the court.
Ifoh’s position is at variance with the stance of the acting National Chairman of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) Political Commission, Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku.
While hailing the judgment, Ndubuaku said: “We always know a day like this will come. We have done everything to give Abure a soft landing for him to leave the party leadership quietly in vain.
“But with this judgement, he has no choice than to leave.” .
On how the NLC would handle the affairs of the party when Abure steps down, he said some permanent members on the Board of the LP would set up a new caretaker panel that would be given a mandate of 60 to 90 days to conduct a national convention to democratically elect new members.
