The leadership of the Labour Party under Julius Abure has rejected a Federal High Court judgment recognising Nenadi Usman as chair of a Caretaker Committee, vowing to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said Justice Peter Lifu’s decision was based on a misreading of the Supreme Court’s ruling of 4 April 2025.
Ifoh maintained that the Supreme Court had made it clear that courts do not have the power to appoint or remove party leaders, as such matters fall strictly within the internal affairs of political parties. He said the Federal High Court’s judgment was therefore inconsistent with established legal precedent.
The party expressed confidence that the ruling would be overturned on appeal, noting that it had not yet obtained the Certified True Copy of the judgment for detailed examination.
“Nevertheless, based on the information available to us, the party will certainly appeal,” Ifoh said.
He criticised the conduct of the proceedings, alleging that the court denied the party a fair opportunity to address claims made in a counter-affidavit before reserving judgment. He also claimed that some rival factions celebrated the outcome on social media even before the judgment was formally delivered.
Ifoh recalled that the Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed the Abure-led National Working Committee as the authentic leadership of the party. He said Nenadi Usman subsequently approached the Supreme Court, arguing that leadership disputes were beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.
“It is therefore surprising that a Federal High Court would now declare a caretaker chairman for the party,” Ifoh said.
He further questioned how the court concluded that a leadership vacuum existed without considering the validity of the party’s national convention held on 27 March 2024.
Calling for calm among party members, Ifoh assured them that the leadership would seek redress through the legal process and warned that the party would not bow to pressure or inducements to relinquish its mandate.
