Nigeria’s Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja Nigeria, has ruled that Julius Abure remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a judgment of three member panel delivered on Friday by Justice Hamma Barka, upheld its earlier judgment, which recognises 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.
The Court of Appeal stated that it did not address the issue of Labour Party leadership, as such matters are not justiciable.
The court further ruled that any action taken outside of jurisdiction is null and void. As such, the judgment delivered by the Federal High Court on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, was deemed ineffective as it was delivered without jurisdiction, and the court proceeded to strike it out.
In striking out the suit, the Appeal Court reaffirmed its previous judgment from November 13, 2024, which declared that “Abure remains National Chairman of the Labour Party.”
This ruling may lead to confusion since it nullifies justice Nwite’s judgment which recognises Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party, and especially now that the issue in dispute was the national convention conducted by Abure in Nnewi, which members contend was contrary to Labour Party’s constitution.