Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja yesterday affirmed Mr Julius Abure as the authentic National Chairman of Labour Party, LP.
The appellate court, in an unanimous decision by a three-member panel, upheld the October 8 judgement of the Federal High Court in Abuja which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to grant the LP under Abure’s leadership, all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in the country.
According to the appellate court, it found no reason to dislodge the judgement that was delivered in Abure’s favour by Justice Emeka Nwite.
It would be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked LP, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, it constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with former Finance Minister, Senator Esther Usman, as Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders meeting that was hosted in Umuahia by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
The meeting where Abure was sacked from office was chaired by his former ally and candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the high court to validate his position.
In an affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, he told the court that following the death of the national chairman of LP, he was lawfully elected as the acting national chairman at a National Executive Council, NEC, meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He told the court that on April 18, 2023 at the NEC meeting held in Asaba, Delta State and duly monitored by INEC, it was resolved that tenures of state chairmen whose tenures had expired, be renewed.
He said it was at the same meeting that some members that were engaged in anti-party activities were expelled and replacements for vacant positions created.
Abure averred that in line with a consensus that was reached at the meeting, the party subsequently held its National Convention on March 27, 2024 at Nnewi, Anambra State, where we was lawfully elected to the office of national chairman.
He said the party under his leadership produced candidates for governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.
According to the plaintiff, on June 28, 2024, INEC, issued to him and 18 other national chairmen of political parties, a Notice for Inspection of Sensitive Election Materials for the Ondo and Edo States governorship polls.
However, he decried that a later notice that INEC gave for political parties to nominate two persons from their IT unit to undertake a training on how to upload data unto INEC’s portal for the purpose of the impending Ondo State gubernatorial election, was not served on him.
Abure told the court that he became aware of the existence of the said notice of the training by INEC, on August 21, 2024 due to the fact that he is a member of the Inter-Party Advisory Committee, IPAC.
Therefore, he prayed the court to intervene by compelling INEC to accord him recognition as the national chairman of LP.
While granting the request, Justice Nwite held that he found merit in the case of the plaintiff.
The court equally ordered INEC to perform its lawful duty by conducting a refresher training for the upload of LP’s agents into its portal and to issue the plaintiff (Abure) the Access Code required to access INEC’s portal for the Ondo State governorship election held on November 16, 2024.
“I am of the view that the basis of these cogent verifiable documents, the defendants attempt to impeach the validity of the leadership of the plaintiff fails.
“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 Abure all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in Nigeria,” Justice Nwite held.
