…Obidient group hails verdict
The ongoing leadership crises within the Labour Party LP, assumed another dimension, weekend, as embattled party Chairman, Julius Abure and Nenadi Usman, the Party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman, laid claims to victory over Friday’s Supreme Court judgement.
The Supreme Court had on Friday set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld the leadership of Julius Abure, the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party.
The five-member panel of jurists, at the apex court held that the Court of Appeal, Abuja, lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure as the National Chairman of the LP having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership
It held that issue of leadership was internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court therefore, allowed the appeal filed by Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.
In a swift reaction by Usman, in a statement, described the judgement as “victory for the rule of law”
Read also: LP Reps hail Abure’s sack by S’Court, says decision ‘tonic for party’s stability’
“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,”
According to her, “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-centered governance.
Usman therefore, appealed to “all party members, supporters, and stakeholders to remain calm, focused, and committed to the democratic ideals that bind us”
The Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, in an attempt to reform the party, appointed a former President of the NLC, Abduwaheed Omar, to head the Political Commission of the NLC to head a transition committee tasked with revitalising the Party.
The NLC tasked the Omar team to organise a national convention within three months.
The committee also have Sam Amadi and Abiodun Olamosu appointed as Co-chairmen to work with Omar, while Nnawuihe Nwauwa is expected to serve as the secretary of the committee.
Read also: Supreme Court sacks Abure as LP Chairman, describes Usman’s appeal as ” meritorious”
Nnawuihe Nwauwa, while speaking with BDSunday on the judgement, dismissed Abure’s continued claims to the Party’s Chairmanship position, as “funny”.
He however assured that the party will now strategise to move ahead, following the Supreme Court judgement.
Speaking on the party’s reaction to the judgement, he queried Abure’s basis for “clinging on to power”
“Is he not funny? By INEC’s rules, Abure’s position expired since last year
“So, on what basis is he remaining as Labour Party Leader?
“By the Supreme Court ruling, the National Working Committee NEC, will come together.
“ As we speak, we are preparing for a meeting of statuary members of the party’s NEC which will hold as soon as we get the Certified True Copies CTC, of the Supreme Court judgement” Nwauwa said.
The Obidient group has also insisted on reforms in the party, a member of the group who did not want his name in print, said the Supreme Court judgement will further spur the Obedient group to consolidate as a block in the Labour Party
In another development however, Obiora Ifoh, the National Publicity Secretary of the party in another statement, said “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”
He stated that “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.
Read also: Abure: I’m ready for dialogue with Otti, Peter Obi others
The LP spokesman said 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.
According to him, “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’s crises had started when the Julius Abure’s tenure expired and a constitution crisis occurred, over the national convention which was summoned by the Abure lead leadership
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.”
Ifoh said “the Abure led group had called for National convention 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.”
Ifoh however, again reiterated the earlier condemnation of the Abia gathering at Umuahia, in September 2024, which was called by Governor Alex Oti, of Abia state, where the leadership of the party set up the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee.
Read also: APC using Abure to kill Labour Party- HURIWA
The meeting was attended by Peter Obi and members of the Obidient Movement, that witnessed the emergence of the party’s caretaker committee.
Ifoh said the meeting was not in line with the party’s 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”
Ifoh, who stated that “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”
For him, “The position of the Supreme Court is that the structures of the party are capable of handling any matter as it concerns its affairs and as it is today, the Labour Party National Chairman is and remains Barrister Julius Abure,” he said.
