ABUJA, Nigeria – The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has expressed satisfaction with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court, claiming that it reaffirmed their stance that internal political matters should remain within the party’s jurisdiction.
While clarifying some misrepresentations in the media about the verdict, the LP emphasized that Julius Abure remains the legitimate national chairman of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, made this clarification in a statement issued in Abuja.
He responded to the Supreme Court’s unanimous judgment, which nullified the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had earlier recognized Abure as the leader of the party.
The apex court ruled that leadership matters within a party are internal affairs, over which the judiciary has no jurisdiction.
Furthermore, the court noted that, based on the available submissions, Abure’s tenure had already expired, and it dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party.
Despite this ruling, Ifoh maintained that the Supreme Court did not remove Abure from his position as the Labour Party’s national chairman.
“The Supreme Court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure. Rather, it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts and appeal court judgments that emphasized the immutability of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders,” Ifoh stated.
He clarified that the judgment did not invalidate the earlier Appeal Court decision in the Labour Party case (Labour Party vs Ebiseni and 2 others, CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on November 13, 2024, which affirmed Abure as the national chairman.
According to Ifoh, the judgment in that case is still valid and has not been appealed, meaning Abure remains the party’s leader.
Ifoh also referred to the Labour Party’s constitution, which outlines the authority of the National Working Committee, led by Abure.
The constitution grants the power to call for national conventions and meetings to the National Secretary, in consultation with and approval by the National Chairman.
Ifoh stressed that the Labour Party’s leadership called the national convention on March 27, 2024, during which the party’s leaders were elected, and this leadership has been recognized by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The gathering of people in Umuahia is clearly not in line with the constitution. Therefore, any claims that Abure’s leadership has been sacked are misleading and mischievous,” Ifoh added, dismissing those who celebrated the alleged dismissal of Abure.
The LP spokesperson called on all true members of the party to adhere to the Supreme Court’s ruling, emphasising the importance of resolving party matters through internal mechanisms rather than seeking judicial intervention.
He concluded that, as of now, Julius Abure remains the national chairman of the Labour Party, in line with the party’s constitution and the judgment of the Supreme Court.
