A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the appeal filed by Julius Abure challenging the leadership of the Labour Party.
The dispute follows a January 21 judgment by the Federal High Court, which affirmed an earlier Supreme Court ruling that removed Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s legitimate leader.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the lower court’s ruling.
However, in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, the appellate court upheld the Federal High Court’s decision in its entirety.
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 produced Abure as National Chairman.
It also agreed with the trial court that it had jurisdiction under Section 251 of the Constitution to compel a federal agency such as INEC to perform its statutory duties, including recognising Senator Nenadi Usman as party leader.
The appellate court further upheld the finding that the establishment of a Caretaker Committee led by Usman was a “doctrine of necessity” aimed at addressing a leadership vacuum within the party.
The justices criticised Abure for what they described as abuse of court process and forum shopping, noting that he had continued to pursue litigation on a matter already decided by the Supreme Court.
The court held that the appeal lacked merit and amounted to an abuse of judicial process.
Consequently, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and imposed a cost of N10 million against Abure for what it described as a waste of judicial time.
Reacting to the judgment, Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Senator Nenadi Usman, described the ruling as a victory for democracy and the rule of law.
She commended the judiciary for what she called its courage in upholding justice despite attempts to undermine its integrity.
