The leadership crisis in the Labour Party may persist as Julius Abure has rejected the Court of Appeal judgment delivered on Tuesday, which dismissed his appeal challenging the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman.

In a reaction contained in a statement, Abure described the judgment as unacceptable and contrary to established legal principles.

He also disagreed with the court’s finding that the tenure of the National Working Committee he led had expired, insisting that the party’s national convention held in Nnewi in 2024 remains valid.

Abure stated that he has instructed his legal team to proceed to the Supreme Court to challenge the decision of the Court of Appeal.

“We have seen what transpired today at the Appeal Court and we want to say very clearly that the judgement is not acceptable to all of us in the Labour Party led by my humble self.

“I want to say very clearly that the judgement is against all known principles of law. The courts, the Supreme Court and all courts in Nigeria have stated very clearly that the issues of leadership of a political party is an internal affair of a political party.

“It is also not true and I disagree when people say that the tenure of this executive has expired. That is untrue and very unacceptable to us. Nigerians will recall that on the 27th of March 2024, we had a valid convention that was held in Nnewi and that convention is still valid and subsisting for four years. I want to say that the court today didn’t look at that before arriving at the conclusion that the tenure has expired.

“I must also say clearly that the Umuahia meeting which produced the Caretaker Committee was also against the Labour Party constitution. It is only the National Chairman and National Secretary of a political party who has the power to convene any NEC meeting of any sort.

“I want to say very clearly that we are going to appeal that decision. Today’s decision of the Appeal Court is not acceptable to us and we reject it in its entirety. We have put our legal team together and we are going to file an appeal and move to the Supreme Court,” the statement read.

Court Proceedings

Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court had on January 21 reaffirmed the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court, which removed Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the party, to the exclusion of all others.

Dissatisfied with the ruling, Abure approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the decision of the lower court.

However, in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, the appellate court affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court.

The court held that the Supreme Court had, on April 4, 2025, conclusively settled the leadership dispute within the Labour Party when it nullified the convention that purportedly returned Abure as National Chairman.

The Court of Appeal also agreed with the trial court that it had the constitutional powers under Section 251 to compel a statutory Federal Government agency to perform its duties, including ordering INEC to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman as National Chairman of the Labour Party.

The appellate court further held that the constitution of the Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party, headed by Usman, was justified under the doctrine of necessity, aimed at filling a leadership vacuum within the party.

Meanwhile, the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, described the judgment as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.

She commended the judiciary for its courage and commitment to justice, despite alleged attempts by certain individuals to undermine its integrity. (Channels TV)

Update news