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The National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Obiora Ifoh, says Julius Abure remains the national chairman of the party despite the judgement of the Supreme Court on Friday.
Mr Ifoh said this in a statement in Abuja shortly after the judgement was delivered.
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The Supreme Court, on Friday, set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognised Mr Abure as the national chairperson of the LP.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court unanimously held that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to have affirmed Mr Abure as chairman of the LP since the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
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It held that the issue of leadership was an internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court upheld the appeal filed against the judgement by Nenadi Usman, who was appointed the caretaker committee chairperson of the party last year.
Mr Ifoh said Mr Abure remains the chairman of the LP and that the Supreme Court’s position is that the matter is purely an internal affair of the party, which courts have no business to dabble into.
He said the Supreme Court noted that the lower courts should have declined jurisdiction and shouldn’t have made pronouncement on the leadership of a political party.
The spokesperson further stated that the Supreme Court did not set aside the Court of Appeal judgement of 13 November 2024, which affirmed Mr Abure as the national chairman of the party, adding, “the judgement is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed.”
“The position of the Supreme Court is that the structures of the party is capable of handling any matters as it concerns its affairs and as it is today, the Labour Party National Chairman is and remains Barrister Julius Abure,” Mr Ifoh said.
The spokesperson said the LP constitution is very clear about which party organ can call its national convention or any national meeting.
He said Article 14 of the 2024 constitution as amended 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.”
According to him, the meeting at Umuahia, Abia State, where the caretaker committee, headed by Mrs Usman, a former finance minister, was not in line with the constitution of the party
“Accordingly, the National convention of the party was called by the leadership of the party on the 27 of March 2024, where the leaders of the party emerged. The report of the National Convention is already with INEC, and its 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 were only trying to be mischievous and misleading and that the Supreme Court didn’t say so,” Mr Ifoh said.
Read the full statement:
Supreme Court upholds Abure as national chairman, says only parties must decide their leadership
… Labour Party hails judgement
The Supreme Court today, April 4, 2025 gave a judgement in the cases brought against the Labour Party. In its judgement, the court said the matter is purely an internal affairs of the political party of which courts have no business to dabble into them.
The Supreme Court insists that the lower courts should have declined jurisdiction and shouldn’t have made pronouncement on the leadership of a political party. It therefore struck out Senator Nenadi Usman’s appeal at the Appeal Court and the Labour Party suit at the trial court.
The supreme court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party national chairman Barrister Julius Abure rather it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts 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 2 others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on the 13 November 2024 which affirmed Julius 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. Barrister Julius Abure remains Labour Party national chairman.
The question is: who are the leaders of the party? The party constitution is clear as who are the leaders of the party. The leadership of the party has been the National Working Committee led by Barrister Julius Abure.
The party constitution is also clear on who has the power to call for the national convention or any national meeting.
Article 14 of 2024 constitution as amended 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 the 27 of March 2024 where the leaders of the party emerged. The report of the National Convention is already with INEC and that leadership is recognized 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 were only trying to be mischievous and misleading and that the Supreme Court didn’t say so.
READ ALSO: LP Caretaker Committee Chairperson hails Abure’s sack by Supreme Court
The leadership of the party is therefore satisfied with the judgement of the apex court which goes to reaffirm Barrister Julius Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party and the current national working committee as validly elected having been duly nominated, endorsed, and ratified through the internal mechanism of the Labour Party statutory organs in line with the party’s constitution.
We are therefore calling on all true members of the Labour Party to abide by the judgement of the apex court, and to always resort to internal party mechanism in resolving party affairs and not to always rush to the court. It is only the political parties that have the powers to choose its leaders not the courts. Everybody must learn to respect the decisions of the party and its Constitution.
The position of the Supreme Court is that the structures of the party is capable of handling any matters as it concerns its affairs and as it is today, the Labour Party National Chairman is and remains Barrister Julius Abure.
Sign:
Obiora Ifoh
National Publicity Secretary
Labour Party
04/04/2025
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