The Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday was welcomed by the Labour Party’s leadership, who said it supported their former stance that political issues are party internal business.
The party maintained that Julius Abure is still its substantive national chairman, notwithstanding the fact that the ruling of the supreme court has been widely misreported in the media.
In a statement released in Abuja, Obiora Ifoh, the LP’s National Publicity Secretary, provided the clarification.
According to reports, a five-member Supreme Court panel unanimously overturned the Court of Appeal in Abuja’s ruling that had previously acknowledged Abure’s leadership.
In its ruling, the supreme court emphasized that issues concerning party leadership are internal concerns and are outside the purview of the courts.
Furthermore, the court also observed that, based on the submissions before it, Abure’s tenure had already expired.
Consequently, it dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the Labour Party.
But Ifoh insisted that the apex court did not sack Abure.
He said, “The supreme court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure. Rather it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts and appeal court judgments upholding the immutability of responsibility of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders.
“The judgement did not also set aside the Appeal Court judgement in Labour Party vs Ebiseni and 2 others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on 13 November 2024, which affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. The judgement is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed.
“The implication is very clear. Abure remains the Labour Party national chairman. The question is: who are the leaders of the party? The party constitution is clear as to who are the leaders of the party. The leadership of the party has been the National Working Committee led by Barrister Julius Abure.”
Continuing, the LP spokesman said the party constitution is also clear on who has the power to call for the national convention or any national meeting.
He hinged his argument on Article 14 of the 2024 constitution as amended, which gives powers to the National Secretary of the party “to issue notices of meetings of the national convention, national executive council, the national working committee in consultation with and approval of the National Chairman.”
“Accordingly, the National convention of the party was called by the leadership of the party on the 27 of March 2024 where the leaders of the party emerged. The report of the National Convention is already with INEC and that leadership is recognized by INEC.
“The gathering of people in Umuahia is clearly not in line with the constitution, and therefore, the celebration by some persons that the leadership of Julius Abure has been sacked were only trying to be mischievous and misleading and that the Supreme Court didn’t say so.
We are therefore calling on all true members of the Labour Party to abide by the judgement of the apex court to always resort to internal party mechanisms in resolving party affairs and not to always rush to the court. The position of the Supreme Court is that the structures of the party are capable of handling any matters as it concerns its affairs, and as it is today, the national chairman remains Barrister Julius Abure.