Court Confirms Julius Abure as Labour Party Chairman
On Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite ruled in favor of Julius Abure, affirming his position as the legitimate Chairman of the Labour Party. The Federal High Court in Abuja directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially recognize Abure’s leadership.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite also validated the March 2024 Nnewi convention, which led to the election of the party’s national leadership, and mandated INEC to acknowledge this leadership.
SaharaReporters previously reported on September 18 that the Abure faction accused Peter Obi, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, and Abia State Governor Alex Otti of betrayal. This allegation arose after INEC stated it did not recognize Abure as the party’s national chairman.
INEC responded to a lawsuit from the Labour Party regarding its exclusion from a training for party agents ahead of upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections. The electoral body maintained that the party’s leadership, including Abure, was illegitimate and argued that the March convention breached both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
INEC emphasized that it engages only with parties that have valid leadership structures. Through its legal representative, Tanko Inuwa, SAN, the commission contended that the Labour Party needed to provide evidence to support its claims and dismissed the party’s requests for relief.
The Labour Party faced challenges in meeting the legal requirements for its national convention, leading INEC to declare the leadership invalid. The commission urged the court to reject the Labour Party’s case, asserting it was not entitled to the reliefs sought.
In a statement from spokesperson Obiora Ifoh, the Abure faction criticized efforts to remove him, pointing out that many of those advocating for his ouster lacked the financial means to obtain nomination forms for the 2023 elections.
Additionally, in May, the party’s turmoil escalated when a Federal Capital Territory High Court issued an order preventing Abure and National Secretary Farouk Ibrahim from claiming to be the party’s national leaders. The court also restrained National Organizing Secretary Clement Ojukwu and Treasurer Oluchi Opara from presenting themselves as national officers.
This situation follows a post-election crisis triggered by the suspension of Abure by the Labour Party’s Edo State chapter.
