A Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified Julius Abure’s claim to the position of National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), declaring former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, as the lawful leader of the party.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a judgment delivered on Wednesday, relied on the April 4, 2025 decision of the Supreme Court to affirm Usman’s leadership and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the only valid authority representing the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.
The ruling followed a suit marked THC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, filed by Usman, with Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) listed as defendants.
Justice Lifu held that evidence before the court clearly established that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman of the Labour Party had expired.
The court dismissed Abure’s argument that the dispute was an internal party matter and therefore non-justiciable, ruling instead that the constitution of a caretaker committee headed by Usman was a necessity flowing from the decision of the Supreme Court.
The judge recalled that the leadership crisis in the Labour Party prompted its National Executive Committee (NEC) to remove Abure from office.
To address the ensuing vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee with Usman as chairman. The decision was reached at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State, and hosted by Governor Alex Otti.
The meeting that culminated in Abure’s removal was chaired by his former ally and the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking judicial validation of his position as National Chairman of the party.
In an affidavit supporting his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure claimed he was lawfully elected Acting National Chairman following the death of the party’s former chairman at a NEC meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He further told the court that at another NEC meeting held in Asaba, Delta State, on April 18, 2023, and monitored by INEC, the party resolved to renew the tenures of state chairmen whose mandates had expired, expel members accused of anti-party activities, and appoint replacements.
Abure also maintained that based on a consensus reached at the meeting, the party held its national convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was elected National Chairman.
He added that the party, under his leadership, produced candidates for the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
However, while the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal initially ruled in Abure’s favour and ordered INEC to recognise him, the Supreme Court later set aside the concurrent judgments.
In a lead judgment prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court upheld the appeal filed by Senator Usman and the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, dismissed Abure’s cross-appeal, and urged political parties to strictly adhere to their constitutions.
The Supreme Court further admonished party officials whose tenures have elapsed to vacate office in line with party rules.