BY Jude Opara, Abuja
The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party (LP) may have deepened on Saturday as the 29-member caretaker committee, established by the LP Presidential candidate in the 2023 election and Governor Alex Otti of Abia state, warned Barr. Julius Abure to stop parading himself as the National Chairman of the party.
The Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman in a statement issued in Abuja, declared that they remain in charge of the party’s affairs following the mandate entrusted on them by party stakeholders at an emergency convention.
The development comes less than 24 hours after Abure’s victory at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which validated the party’s March 2024 national convention which held in Nnewi, Anambra State, and confirmed him as the national chairman.
The court, presided over by Justice Hamma Barka, relied on a prior judgement delivered on November 13, 2024, in Appeal Number CA/Abj/CV/1172/2024 between the Labour Party (appellant) and Chief Olusola Ebiseni along with the Independent National Electoral Commission (respondents).
The three-member panel, issued its declaration on Friday, ruling on two separate appeals filed by Senator Esther Usman, the caretaker committee, and INEC. The appellate court held that the Labour Party’s leadership issues were not justiciable.
The court further ruled that any actions taken outside its jurisdiction were null and void. Consequently, the judgement of the Federal High Court, delivered on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, was deemed invalid and subsequently struck out.
However, Sen. Usman and the Caretaker Committee secretary, Darlignton Nwokocha in a statement they jointly criticized the judgement and insisted on retaining their mandate.
They accused the court of not also giving them the opportunity to have stated their own side of the story when they insisted that their rights to fair hearing were trampled upon.
“The Federal High Court erred and acted without jurisdiction by entertaining the leadership dispute brought before it by Julius Abure. It also violated our right to a fair hearing by failing to consider our counter-affidavit opposing the suit before it”.
They urged all their supporters and party faithful to remain calm and law abiding notwithstanding the position of the appellant court.
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