Supreme Court Overturns Appeal Court Judgment Recognising Julius Abure As Labour Party Chairman
The Supreme Court has overturned a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja that recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous ruling delivered on Friday, April 4, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to affirm Abure’s leadership position, noting that the substance of the dispute centered on the internal leadership of the party — a matter the judiciary has no authority to adjudicate.
The apex court stressed that political parties handle their own leadership issues internally and that courts have no authority to interfere in such matters. It ruled in favour of the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi Usman and one other, declaring it meritorious, while dismissing the cross-appeal filed by Abure’s group as unmeritorious.
The ruling marks a significant reversal of a January 2025 decision by the Court of Appeal, which had upheld Abure’s position as national chairman. In that ruling, Justice Hamma Barka stated that the appellate court’s earlier judgment of November 13, 2024, affirming Abure’s leadership, remained valid and had not been set aside.
However, while delivering judgment on appeals filed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, the Labour Party caretaker committee, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the appellate court clarified that it did not delve into the leadership dispute, as such matters are non-justiciable.
The Supreme Court has now affirmed that any action taken without jurisdiction is a nullity, effectively rendering the October 8, 2024 judgment by the Federal High Court, which previously recognised Abure, ineffective and without legal standing.
This decision reshapes the ongoing leadership tussle within the Labour Party and reinforces the court’s stance on the non-interference in intra-party matters.
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