In a significant ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja confirmed Julius Abure as the legitimate Chairman of the Labour Party. The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Abure’s leadership, putting to rest the ongoing internal disputes within the party.
The court ruling also validated the March 2024 Nnewi convention, which elected the party’s national leadership. Justice Nwite further instructed INEC to acknowledge this leadership as the lawful representatives of the Labour Party.
This development follows accusations made in September by the Abure-led faction, which claimed that the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor Alex Otti, had betrayed the Labour Party. The accusations came after INEC declared it did not recognize Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
At the time, INEC argued, “It only deals with parties that have legitimate leadership in place,” stating that the Labour Party’s convention violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. The commission insisted that the Labour Party lacked valid leadership, and urged the court to dismiss the party’s case, stating, “The Labour Party is not entitled to the reliefs it is seeking.”
Despite this, the court’s decision has now officially restored Abure as Chairman, a setback for those within the party who opposed his leadership.
