Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Barrister Julius Abure has said he remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party following a Supreme Court judgement on April 4.

National Chairman Abure and National Secretary Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, addressing reporters in Abuja, said the court upheld the party’s National Convention held on March 27 in Nnewi, Anambra State, which elected the current National Working Committee (NWC).

The Supreme Court had stated that political parties must adhere to their constitution and that leadership disputes are internal matters, not subject to judicial interference.

“Political parties must learn to adhere to their constitution and guidelines in the conduct of their domestic affairs,” the court ruled, affirming that party members are bound by decisions of organs like the NWC, National Executive Committee (NEC), and National Convention.

Abure and Ibrahim urged Abia State Governor Alex Otti and former presidential candidate Peter Obi to respect the ruling and cease actions causing internal divisions. They noted that the court did not overturn CA/ABJ/1172/2024, which recognised Abure as National Chairman, and confirmed the party’s compliance with electoral laws and INEC regulations for the 2024 convention.

The party dismissed claims of a caretaker committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, stating no valid NEC meeting or stakeholder gathering occurred on 4 September 2024 in Abia State. It declared that no leadership vacuum exists and urged members to align with the NWC as affirmed by the Supreme Court.

The announcement follows weeks of factional disputes, with Abure’s group maintaining the party’s Abuja secretariat while the Usman-led caretaker committee awaits INEC’s interpretation of the judgement.

Meanwhile, sources in the independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said that the commission was still reviewing the court’s judgment.

“No decision has been made yet on the Supreme Court judgment of the Labour Party,” an official said anonymously for lack of authorisation to speak to the press.

Another official said a decision would only be taken after INEC had studied the Certified True Copy of the judgement.

“The commission needs to obtain a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgement, study it carefully to determine what the court intended, before arriving at an informed decision,” the official said.

The Supreme Court had on April 4, 2025 overturned an earlier ruling by the Court of Appeal that had recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party.

The apex court held that the appeal court lacked jurisdiction over internal party matters.

But the apex court verdict was subjected to different interpretations, with Abure contending that the Supreme Court did not remove him from office, while the LP Caretaker Committee, led by Nenadi Usman, argued that Abure had been sacked.

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