The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party appears not to be ending soon; this is after the Julius Abure-led faction has insisted that he remains the party’s national chairman despite Friday’s apex court ruling.
The situation has thrown uncertainty into the party with various stakeholders not sure of the implication of the development to the party’s future.
Last Friday, the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognized Abure as the national chairman of the LP.
In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure as the national chairman of the LP, having earlier determined that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
The court ruled that issues of leadership are internal affairs of a political party over which courts lack jurisdiction and noted that Abure’s tenure had since expired.
Following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the national chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with former finance minister, Esther Nenadi Usman, a former senator as chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as secretary.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
Read also: LP: Otti hails Supreme Court for sacking Abure-led working committee
The meeting where Abure was sacked from office was chaired by his former ally and candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the high court to validate his position as the national chairman of the party. However, his victory at the lower court was challenged by Usman, Nwokocha and other leaders.
Meanwhile, observers thought Friday’s ruling by the apex court may bring an end to the two years old crisis and calm nerves; the Abure camp appears hell-bent on not relinquishing power and continuing the fight.
The apex court judgment today was received with wide jubilation among party members and leaders across the country, with many saying that it was a turning point for the LP which placed third in the 2023 general election, but had been plagued by internal wrangling since then.
But the Abure’s led camp has dismissed the notion that their leader was sacked by the ruling, saying he remains its national chairman despite a Supreme Court ruling that sacked him from the position.
Obiora Ifo, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, said the judgment favoured Abure because only political parties could determine their leaders.
“Supreme Court strikes out Nenadi, Abure suits, says only political parties can determine who their leaders are. It also said that the courts shouldn’t dabble into the affairs of the political parties. Abure is still the National Chairman of the Labour Party,” Ifoh said.
But reacting to the ruling the chairman of the LP’s caretaker committee, Usman, said the judgment is a victory for the rule of law and a significant milestone for the nation’s democracy.
The chairman of the caretaker committee said that LP remains steadfast in its mission to create a new Nigeria.
“The recent ruling by the Supreme Court, which allowed the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi Usman, declaring it meritorious, while dismissing the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party as unmeritorious, is a victory for the rule of law and a significant milestone for our democracy.
“It is important to emphasize 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-centered governance.
“We call on all party members, supporters, and stakeholders to remain calm, focused, and committed to the democratic ideals that bind us.
Similarly, the Labour Party House of Representatives also applauded the apex court judgment, describing it crucial for the party’s stability and reinvention.
According to the caucus, this ruling serves as a warning to leaders who play ‘god’ in a democracy, where the people ought to hold the ultimate authority.
The leader of the caucus, Afam Victor Ogene, in a statement shortly after the Supreme Court pronouncement, described the development as a veritable tonic for the revitalization of the party that has been engulfed by leadership tussle in recent times.
He thanked the apex court for the decisive judgment that has offered the party a new lease of life.
Ogene stated that, following this clear-cut judgment, the Labour Party will hasten to implement necessary mechanisms to restore internal peace and get the party back on track, in order to reassure its teeming members of the party’s viability for future elections and its commitment to leadership that prioritizes the interests and welfare of the people.
“In fact, by next week, we expect the National Caretaker Committee, NCC led by respected former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, to convene an all-inclusive stakeholders meeting to chart the way forward.
The lawmaker emphasized that the party’s leadership crisis could have been prevented if the ousted chairman and his team heeded the Caucus’ advice, or addressed the concerns of other stakeholders.
“These stakeholders, Ogene stated, had urged caution and greater sensitivity in managing the party’s affairs. But in a brazen display of arrogance and naked power-mongering, Abure had ignored these warnings, thus creating an environment for crisis to fester.
