By Abiola Olawale
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
This decision potentially overturns a previous ruling by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court which had restrained Abure from parading himself as the party’s chairman.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, in a judgment delivered on Friday by Justice Hamma Barka, upheld its earlier judgment of November 13, 2024, which recognizes Abure as National Chairman. The court confirmed that this decision has not been overturned by any other court.
Justice Barka made this declaration in the ruling on two separate appeals filed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, the caretaker committee, and the Independent National Electoral Commission, respectively.
The court further held that any actions taken beyond its jurisdiction are considered null and void, lacking any legal standing. In light of this principle, the judgment rendered by the Federal High Court on October 8, 2024, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, was ruled ineffective and could not potentially hold water.
The court clarified that this ruling was issued without the appropriate jurisdictional authority, which ultimately compelled the appellate court to formally strike it from the record.
This legal affirmation came after a series of protracted and tedious disputes within the party.
The most prominent internal conflict has been over the chairmanship of the party. Recall that Julius Abure was elected as the national chairman in 2021, but disputes arose when Lamidi Apapa, the then deputy national chairman (south), declared himself acting national chairman following a court order that restrained Abure from acting as chairman. This led to a faction within the party, causing a split in leadership and operations.
This resulted in numerous court cases regarding the leadership of the party.
Also, disputes arose from the conduct of party congresses. There were allegations of irregularities in the ward, local government, and state congresses, with claims that some were not inclusive or were manipulated to favor certain factions and tendencies.
