A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to forthwith recognise the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party, pending when the party convenes a national convention.
The court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu in a suit filed by the former minister, also sacked Mr. Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In the judgment, the trial judge relied on the April 4, 2025, judgment of the Supreme Court to declare Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, a former Minister of Finance, as the valid leader of the party.
The judgment followed a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, which the former minister lodged before the court against Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), cited as defendants in the matter.
Justice Lifu held that the evidence before him established that Abure’s tenure as the national chairman of the Labour Party had since elapsed.
While dismissing Abure’s contention that the matter was an internal affair of a political party that is non-justiciable, the court held that the setting up of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee was “a necessity” that arose from the order of the Supreme Court.
It be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked the Labour Party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party resolved to remove Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with the former Finance Minister, Esther Nenadi Usman, as Chairman.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by Governor Alex Otti of Abia.
The meeting where Abure was sacked from office was chaired by his former ally and candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to validate his position as the National Chairman of the party.
In an affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure told the court that following the death of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, he was lawfully elected as the Acting National Chairman of the party at a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party that held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He told the court that on April 18, 2023, at the NEC meeting of the party held in Asaba, Delta State, and duly monitored by INEC, it was resolved that tenures of State Chairmen whose tenures had expired be renewed.
Abure said it was at the same meeting that some members who were engaged in anti-party activities were expelled, and replacements for vacant positions were created as a result of the expulsion.
Abure averred that in line with a consensus that was reached at the meeting, the party subsequently held its National Convention on March 27, 2024, at Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was lawfully elected to the office of National Chairman of the Labour Party.
He said the party under his leadership produced candidates for the governorship elections in both Edo and Ondo states.
While both the trial court and the Court of Appeal upheld Abure’s case and ordered INEC to recognise him, he was, however, dislodged by the Supreme Court, which nullified the concurrent decisions of the two lower courts.
In its lead judgement that was prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court allowed the appeal that was filed by the Chairman and Secretary of the party’s Caretaker Committee, Senator Usman and Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, respectively.
The Supreme Court equally dismissed a cross-appeal that was filed by Abure and enjoined political parties to always abide by their own rules in the appointment of their officers.
It further implored officials of political parties whose tenures have elapsed to learn to vacate their positions.
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