The crisis within the Labour Party (LP) has intensified following a court ruling that reinstates Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman.
The court ruling comes after Abure was previously removed by party stakeholders, including Mr Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate and the only governor elected under its platform. Dr Alex Otti of Abia State.
A caretaker committee led by Nenandi Usman, a former Minister of Finance, was appointed to manage the party’s affairs in Umuahia, the capital of Abia State at a well attended stakeholders meeting of the party.
However, On Tuesday, a Federal High Court in Abuja ruled in favor of Abure, affirming the validity of the 2024 Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, where he was re-elected.
The court emphasized that the convention complied with all relevant Nigerian laws.
According to a statement by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize and grant all privileges to the Labour Party’s National Working Committee under Abure’s leadership.
INEC had previously stated that it did not acknowledge Abure as the party’s national chairman, asserting that the March 2024 convention that reinstated him was unconstitutional and violated the Electoral Act.