Labour Party: Abure loses out as Appeal Court affirms Nenadi Usman leadership

By Edith Nwapi

The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed a suit filed by Julius Abure, challenging the legitimacy of the Nenadi Usman-led leadership of the Labour Party (LP).

A three-member panel of the appellate court, in a judgment, unanimously affirmed the Jan 21 judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal high court, Abuja.

Lifu in his judgment upheld the legitimacy of the 29-member caretaker committee of the LP, led by Usman.

Justice Lifu had, in the Jan 21 judgment, relied on an April 4, 2025 decision of the Supreme Court which held that Abure’s tenure as the party’s National Chairman had expired.

The appellate court then directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Sen. Usman and others, members of her committee as the legitimate leaders of the party, to the exclusion of all others.

The lead judgment was delivered by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, which Justices Abba Mohammed and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike agreed with.

The appellate court held that the earlier judgment of Supreme Court conclusively settled the leadership dispute within the LP when it nullified the convention that purportedly returned Abure as National Chairman.

The court further held that the court below had the powers under Section 251 of the Constitution to compel a statutory Federal Government agency to perform its functions when it ordered INEC to recognise Usman as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.

It equally agreed with the trial court that the constitution of the LP’s caretaker committee, headed by Usman, was a doctrine of necessity needed to provide leadership in the party when there appeared to be a vacuum.

The court faulted Abure’s claims that he was denied fair hearing by the trial court and accused him of engaging in the abuse of court process.

The court also accused Abure of engaging in forum shopping, by going before a Nasarawa state high court over a case that was already decided by the Supreme Court.

Also, and for persisting in laying claim to the leadership of the party in spite of the clear and unambiguous pronouncement of the apex court.

It held that the appeal, marked: CA/ABJ/CV/255/2026 was devoid of merit and constituted an abuse of court process.

“On the whole, I agree with the decision and conclusion of the trial court as same, been in accordance with the Constitution”,

Justice Oyewumi held and added that, the lower court has arrived at a reasonable conclusion which cannot be faulted by the Court of Appeal.

The Court dismissed the appeal, and awarded a cost of N10 million against him for wasting the time of the court on an issue that had already been conclusively determined.

Earlier, the court held that, Usman, as a juristic person had the right to file the case before the trial court.

In addition, that the trial court held that it had the jurisdiction to hear and determine the case.(NAN)