Contrary to Julius Abure’s claim that the Supreme Court did not sack him as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, obtained by THISDAY, has revealed that his cross-appeal was dismissed and deemed unmeritorious.
The court also declared his tenure expired.
Also, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, has urged party members not to be afraid of anyone, but speak up, because Nigeria was in a state of collapse and urgently needed rescue.
But the Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, on Wednesday, led a high-level delegation of the party to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja to submit the certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgement on the leadership crisis in the party.
Following the recent ruling of the Supreme Court on the leadership tussle in Labour Party, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has asked the Police and other security agencies to step in and enforce pronouncement of the court of law by quitting the Julius Abure- led executives from the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
But the Abure faction of the party has described the threat by the NLC to invade its offices nationwide as a subtle blackmail to make the Abure-led leadership look like a villain before INEC and security agencies in the country.
The party, however, said it would seek the protection of the security agencies and mobilise members across the nation to resist the invasion of its offices nationwide.
However, in its judgment, a CTC of which was obtained by THISDAY, the Supreme Court actually overturned previous rulings from the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal, both of which had recognised Abure as the Labour Party’s National Chairman.
The apex court ruled that the lower courts lacked jurisdiction over the matter, as leadership disputes within a political party were internal issues.
The judgment was delivered by a five-member panel, with Justice John Okoro’s lead judgment emphasizing that both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had no jurisdiction to address this issue.
The court also dismissed Abure’s cross-appeal, calling it unmeritorious, while accepting the main appeal brought by Senator Nenadi Usman, the chairperson of the Labour Party’s Caretaker Committee.
In conclusion, the Supreme Court’s judgment not only removed Abure from office but also served as a cautionary message to political parties to respect their constitutions and the rules governing party leadership, which was the only part Abure had been holding on to.
