Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has officially recognised Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s rightful chairman.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite endorsed Abure’s leadership and upheld the outcomes of the March 2024 Nnewi convention, which established the party’s national leadership.
The judge also mandated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge Abure as the legitimate chairman, countering INEC’s previous assertion that Abure’s leadership was invalid.
Justice Nwite stated, “I believe, and therefore hold, that based on substantial, verifiable documents, the defendants’ attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the plaintiff’s leadership is unsuccessful. The plaintiff has successfully demonstrated his case. I now order the defendant to grant the plaintiff’s political party, under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure, all the rights and privileges accorded to a duly registered political party in Nigeria.”
INEC contended that the Labour Party’s national convention breached the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, arguing that the party did not fulfil the necessary legal requirements to conduct the convention.
The electoral body claimed that Julius Abure was no longer the Labour Party’s national chairman, citing that his term would expire in June 2024. This statement followed a lawsuit from the Labour Party, which challenged its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for party agents in preparation for the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
INEC maintained that the March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Abure, violated legal statutes. Consequently, INEC asserted that the party’s leadership was invalid and indicated that they would only engage with parties possessing legitimate leadership.
The legal team representing INEC, led by Tanko Inuwa, SAN, stressed that the Labour Party’s lawsuit sought declaratory reliefs that cannot be granted solely based on admissions, emphasising that the party must substantiate its claims. Due to the Labour Party’s failure to meet the legal criteria for holding its national convention, INEC concluded that the party lacked valid leadership.
