The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled in favor of Julius Abure, affirming him as the substantive Chairman of the Labour Party.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the verdict on Tuesday, directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially recognize Abure’s leadership.
This ruling also validated the March 2024 Nnewi convention that produced the national leadership of the party.
The court issued a compelling order for INEC to acknowledge Abure as the party’s legitimate chairman.
The Abure-led faction had earlier accused Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, of betraying the party.
This came after INEC initially refused to recognize Abure as the Labour Party chairman.
In its counter-affidavit, INEC had argued that the leadership under Abure was invalid, claiming that the March 2024 National Convention that re-elected Abure violated the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
INEC further stressed that it only deals with parties that have legitimate leadership in place.
“The Labour Party is not entitled to the reliefs it is seeking,” INEC had maintained, urging the court to dismiss the party’s suit.
The legal battle intensified after the party was excluded from INEC’s refresher training for uploading agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
INEC argued that the Labour Party failed to meet the legal requirements for holding its national convention, thereby rendering its leadership illegitimate.
The crisis within the party deepened when a Federal Capital Territory High Court in May barred Julius Abure and National Secretary Farouk Ibrahim from presenting themselves as party leaders.
This followed Abure’s suspension by the Labour Party’s Edo State chapter, further complicating the post-election challenges within the party.
Despite the setback, Abure’s camp remained defiant, with spokesperson Obiora Ifoh accusing those pushing for Abure’s removal of lacking the financial means to purchase nomination forms ahead of the 2023 elections.
