The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reaffirmed Julius Abure as the authentic National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), citing its earlier judgment delivered on November 13, 2024. The appellate court clarified that the November judgment, which recognized Abure’s leadership, remains binding and unchallenged.
This was disclosed by Justice Hamma Barka, Presiding Justice of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, while delivering verdicts on two related appeals on Friday. The cases, marked CA/ABJ/CV/1271/2024 (filed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and another) and CA/ABJ/CV/1232/2024 (filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and another), had the Labour Party and its officials as respondents.
Both appeals contested an October 8, 2024, decision by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which directed INEC to recognize and engage with the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party.
Justice Barka held that Justice Nwite erred in assuming jurisdiction over a case involving internal party affairs, emphasizing that issues related to a political party’s leadership are non-justiciable. He ruled that the Federal High Court lacked the authority to determine such matters, rendering its judgment a nullity.
In his ruling, Justice Barka set aside the October 8 judgment and struck out the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024 for lack of jurisdiction. He reiterated that the appellate court’s November 13 judgment, which upheld Abure as the National Chairman, remains valid and unaltered.
“The leadership of the Labour Party remains as decided in the November 13, 2024, judgment of this court, where Barrister Abure was adjudged as the National Chairman of the first respondent (LP). That judgment still stands,” Justice Barka stated.
Both appeals, concluded on Friday, affirmed that the issue of the Labour Party’s leadership had already been resolved by the earlier judgment, leaving no further grounds for dispute.
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