Justice Emeka Nwite Affirms Julius Abure as Labour Party Chairman

 

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has officially recognized Julius Abure as the legitimate chairman of the Labour Party (LP) in a ruling delivered today. The judgment endorses the leadership structure established during the party's March 2024 convention in Nnewi, which resulted in the election of new party executives.

In his ruling, Justice Nwite ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge Abure as the rightful chair of the party. "I am of the view and so hold that based on these cogent verifiable documents, the defendant’s 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 to a political party duly registered in Nigeria," the judge stated.

This decision comes after INEC previously invalidated Abure's leadership, arguing that the national convention contravened both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act. The electoral body claimed that the party did not fulfill the legal criteria necessary for conducting the convention, asserting that Abure's tenure as national chair was set to expire in June 2024.

Following the controversies surrounding Abure's leadership, Nenadi Usman, a former senator representing Kaduna South, was appointed to head a 29-member caretaker committee after Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, called a stakeholders' meeting in Umuahia. Prominent party figures, including Peter Obi, the LP's presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, and Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate, were present at this meeting.