The Supreme Court has overturned the Court of Appeal’s judgment that recognized Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal dispute regarding the party’s leadership.
In a unanimous decision, a five-member panel of the apex court ruled that the Court of Appeal in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to declare Abure as the LP’s National Chairman.
The panel stressed that the issue at hand concerned the internal leadership of the party, a matter over which the courts have no jurisdiction.
The Supreme Court’s ruling upheld the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi Usman and another claimant, deeming it meritorious. The court also dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party, declaring it without merit.
This decision follows a January judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had upheld Abure’s position as the Labour Party Chairman. A three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Hamma Barka, had confirmed in its ruling that Abure’s status remained valid, as the decision made on November 13, 2024, had not been overturned by any higher court.
The Court of Appeal had previously ruled that the dispute over the Labour Party’s leadership was beyond the scope of judicial intervention, declaring that such matters were not justiciable. It also determined that any action taken outside its jurisdiction was null and void, rendering the earlier Federal High Court decision delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite on October 8, 2024, ineffective.
