A Nigerian court has removed Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and confirmed Dr. Nenadi Esther Usman as the Chairman of the party’s Caretaker Committee, bringing an end to months of leadership uncertainty within the opposition party.
In its ruling delivered on Monday, according to a detailed report by one of the lawyers, the court held that the power to elect the leadership of the Labour Party rests with its members, in accordance with the party’s constitution. The court reaffirmed that leadership legitimacy must emerge from due process and properly conducted conventions, not from appointments or gatherings that fail to meet constitutional requirements just like the Nnewi convention.
The court highlighted that Abure’s tenure expired since June 2024, and that his continued claim to the office without a valid national convention was unlawful. It upheld the position of the Supreme Court that political parties are bound by their constitutions and must strictly follow laid-down procedures in leadership succession.
Rejecting the gathering that produced Abure’s continued claim to leadership, the court ruled that it did not qualify as a national convention, as the necessary conditions were not met. The judgment stated that no ward, local government, state, or zonal congresses were held to elect delegates who would vote at such a convention, rendering the process invalid.
Consequently, the court refused to recognise the outcome of what it described as an illegal convention.
The court also upheld the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decline recognition of the disputed convention, affirming that the electoral umpire acted within its supervisory powers.
Following the expiration of Abure’s tenure, the court acknowledged that the Labour Party was left without a valid national chairman, creating a leadership vacuum. It described the intervention by the party’s statutory organs as a “child of necessity,” noting that the party could not be left without leadership.
According to the judgment, the party’s statutory leadership structures lawfully resolved to vest interim leadership in Dr. Nenadi Usman, appointing her as Chairman of the Caretaker Committee with the mandate to stabilise the party and organise a proper, constitutionally compliant national convention.
In a decisive order, the court directed INEC to recognise all correspondence and communications from Dr. Nenadi Usman as the valid and lawful authority of the Labour Party pending the conduct of a legitimate convention. The court also warned against any further attempts to misrepresent or undermine the party’s leadership.
