Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja has affirmed Julius Abure as the legitimate Chairman of the Labour Party. In a ruling delivered on Tuesday, Justice Nwite upheld the leadership of Abure and confirmed the validity of the March 2024 Nnewi convention that elected the party’s national leadership.
The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Abure as the rightful chairman, countering INEC’s previous assertion that Abure’s leadership was invalid. “I am of the view that the defendants’ attempt to impeach the validity of the leadership of the plaintiff fails,” Justice Nwite stated. “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.”
INEC had contended that the Labour Party’s national convention was in violation of the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act, claiming the party did not fulfill the necessary legal requirements to hold the convention. The electoral body declared that Abure was no longer the National Chairman of the Labour Party, citing that his tenure was set to expire in June 2024. This announcement followed a lawsuit filed by the Labour Party, challenging their exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for party agents ahead of the upcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
According to INEC, the Labour Party’s March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Abure, breached constitutional and electoral guidelines. As a result, the commission argued that the party’s leadership was invalid and that it would only engage with parties having legitimate leadership structures in place.
INEC’s legal team, led by Tanko Inuwa, SAN, stressed that the Labour Party’s suit sought declaratory reliefs that could not be granted based solely on admissions, asserting that the party needed to substantiate its claims. INEC maintained that the Labour Party’s failure to adhere to the legal requirements for its national convention rendered its leadership invalid.
