By Ikechukwu Nnochiri

ABUJA– The Supreme Court, on Friday, nullified the judgement that recognised Mr. Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP.

In a unanimous decision, a five-man panel of the apex court vacated the January 17 judgement of Court of Appeal in Abuja, which validated Abure’s continued stay in office as National Chairman of the party.

According to the Supreme Court, the appellate court lacked the jurisdiction to enter any pronouncement in favour of Abure since it had earlier found that the subject matter of the dispute bordered on the leadership of a political party.

It held that the substance of the case centered on the domestic affair of a political party which no court has the powers to meddle into.

Consequently, the Supreme Court allowed an appeal that was filed by a former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, who are the Chairman and Secretary, respectively, of a Caretaker Committee that was earlier appointed to pilot the affairs of the party.

It will be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.

To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with the former Finance Minister, Senator Usman as Chairman and Hon. Nwokocha as Secretary.

The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by governor Alex Otti of Abia State.

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 LP, 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.

He said it was at the same meeting that some members that were engaged in anti-party activities were expelled and replacements for vacant positions created as a result of the expulsion, done.

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 we was lawfully elected to the office of National Chairman of the LP.

He said the party under his leadership produced candidates for governorship elections in both Edo and Ondo states.

According to the plaintiff, on June 28, 2024, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, issued to him and 18 other National Chairmen of political parties, a Notice for Inspection of Sensitive Election Materials for the Ondo and Edo state governorship polls.

However, he decried that a later notice that INEC gave for political parties to nominate two persons from their IT Unit to undertake a training on how to upload data unto INEC’s portal for the purpose of the impending  Ondo state gubernatorial election, was not served on him.

Abure told the court that he became aware of the existence of the said notice of the training by INEC, on August 21, 2024, due to the fact that he is a member of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, IPAC.

Therefore, he prayed the court to intervene by compelling INEC to acord him recognition as the National Chairman of the LP.

Delivering judgement in the matter on October 8, 2024, trial Justice Emeka Nwite held that he found merit in the case of the plaintiff.

He ordered INEC grant the LP under Abure’s leadership, all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in the country.

The court further directed INEC to perform its lawful duty by conducting a refresher training for the upload of LP’s agents into the INEC portal and to issue the plaintiff (Abure) the Access Code required to access INEC’s portal for the Ondo Governorship Election that held on November 16, 2024.

“I am of the view that and so hold that on the basis of these cogent verifiable documents, the defendants attempt to impeach the validity of the leadership of the plaintiff fails.

“The plaintiff has proved his case.

“I hereby make an order compelling the defendant to accord the plaintiff’s political party under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in Nigeria,” Justice Nwite held.

Though the high court’s judgement was affirmed by the appellate court, it was however set-aside by the Supreme Court on Friday.