…Court overturns appeal court’s decision, invalidates Abure’s leadership
The Supreme Court has officially ended Julius Abure’s leadership of the Labour Party, nullifying his recognition as the party’s National Chairman. In a unanimous decision on Friday, a five-member panel overturned the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had previously upheld Abure’s position.
Legal Battles and Factional Disputes
The Court of Appeal had delivered its judgment on January 17, 2025, supporting an earlier ruling from November 13, 2024, that had reinstated Abure as the Labour Party’s National Chairman. This ruling had, in turn, reversed a decision by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, which on October 8, 2024, had removed Abure from office.
However, the dispute took a decisive turn when a faction of the party, led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, filed an appeal at the Supreme Court. The faction, which heads a caretaker committee, contested the Court of Appeal’s involvement in the party’s internal matters, arguing that such disputes were beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.
Supreme Court’s Final Ruling
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court sided with the appellants, declaring that leadership disputes within a political party are non-justiciable and cannot be addressed by the courts. The apex court further stated that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had officially ended, thereby rendering the Court of Appeal’s reinstatement of Abure null and void.
To cap it off, the Supreme Court dismissed a cross-appeal filed by Abure’s camp, bringing the protracted legal battle over the Labour Party’s leadership to an official close, at least for now.
