The Supreme Court of Nigeria has ruled that the leadership tussle within the Labour Party, including the matter involving Julius Abure, falls under the category of internal party affairs and is therefore beyond the jurisdiction of the courts.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a five-member panel, the apex court held that the Court of Appeal erred in pronouncing Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party after acknowledging that the core of the dispute was an internal leadership matter.
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Nenadi Usman and another appellant, describing it as meritorious. The court also dismissed the cross-appeal filed by the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party as unmeritorious.
With this judgment, the apex court reinforces the principle that political parties must resolve internal leadership disputes through their internal mechanisms and not through judicial intervention.
The ruling leaves the future of Abure’s chairmanship uncertain, as it effectively voids any legal affirmation of his leadership from the lower court. The Labour Party is now expected to resolve its leadership crisis in line with its constitution and internal processes.
