The crisis that has dogged the Labour Party, LP since after the 2023 general election is still festering. This is even as Caretaker Committee of the factional Labour Party (LP)constituted by the Presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election Peter Obi and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti has vowed to challenge the Abure led National leadership of the party.
The Committee stated that it will seek further clarification on the party’s leadership dispute at the Supreme Court.
Recall that the Court of Appeal on Friday affirmed Julius Abure as LP’s National Chairman of Labour Party.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Hamma Barka, the Appeal Court held that its November 2024 decision recognizing Abure as the party’s National Chairman remained valid and had not been overturned by any court.
However, reacting to the ruling, the National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, and the National Caretaker Committee Secretary, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, dismissed the court judgement. They maintained that the ruling and that of January 17, 2025, had thrown up issues that only the Supreme Court could clarify.
According to the statement, the Caretaker Committee had instructed their lawyer accordingly and urged supporters of the party across the country to be patient.
The statement said: “It is important to address the erroneous and unsolicited finding by the Court of Appeal that, in a judgment, it delivered on November 13, 2024, in Appeal Number: CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024, Labour Party v. Olusola Ebiseni & Others, Julius Abure was ‘admitted as the National Chairman of the Labour Party’. This finding is completely inconsistent with the substantive judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal.
“For clarity, the judgment delivered on November 13, 2024, in Appeal Number: CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 pertains to the nomination of a governorship candidate for the Ondo State governorship election. It has no connection whatsoever to the leadership dispute, which was the crux of the instant suit.
“Furthermore, we reiterate the established legal principle in Nigeria that courts lack jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties, including leadership and management issues.”
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