Supreme Court Sacks Julius Abure as Labour Party National Chairman, Nullifies Appeal Court Decision

Julius Abure sacked as Labour Party National Chairman by the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja that had recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), declaring that the appellate court lacked the jurisdiction to make such a pronouncement.

In a unanimous decision delivered on Friday, April 4, the five-member panel of the apex court held that leadership matters within political parties are strictly internal affairs and beyond the jurisdiction of the courts. The justices noted that Abure’s tenure as chairman had already expired at the time of the litigation.

The Supreme Court ruled in favour of Nenadi Usman, a former senator and head of the caretaker committee of the Labour Party, affirming her leadership of the party. The court subsequently dismissed the appeal by the Abure-led faction, describing it as lacking in merit.

Earlier in January 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had affirmed Abure as the LP national chairman in a unanimous ruling by a three-member panel. That decision upheld a previous judgment from the Federal High Court delivered on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, which had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Abure-led leadership of the party and grant it full political privileges.

The Court of Appeal, led by Justice Hamma Barka, had upheld that judgment, stating that it had not been reversed by any other court and was consistent with other recent rulings, including one from the Supreme Court that affirmed the candidacy of an LP governorship aspirant in Imo State.

The October 8 ruling from the Federal High Court had also recognised the March 2024 national convention of the LP held in Nnewi, which produced Abure and other party executives. The court had ordered INEC to recognise the outcome of that convention despite the commission’s earlier objections, which cited alleged violations of the Nigerian Constitution and Electoral Act.

With the Supreme Court’s latest decision, all previous judgments recognising Abure’s leadership have been effectively invalidated, and the caretaker committee headed by Nenadi Usman now holds legitimate authority over the party’s leadership structure.