The Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party has announced plans to immediately appeal the judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in the Federal Capital Territory, which recognised the Esther Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as the party’s leadership.
Justice Peter Lifu, in a ruling delivered on Wednesday, relied on an earlier Supreme Court decision of April 4, 2025, to declare Senator Nenadi Usman as the valid leader of the party.
Reacting to the judgment, the Abure faction, through a statement issued in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, described the ruling as contradictory to the position of the Supreme Court. The group argued that the apex court had clearly stated that courts lack the power to appoint leaders for political parties, as leadership disputes are strictly internal affairs.
The faction said it was encouraged by the fact that the Federal High Court is not the final arbiter and confirmed it would approach the Court of Appeal to challenge the decision.
According to Ifoh, although the group was yet to obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment for a detailed review, preliminary information already showed sufficient grounds for an appeal. He claimed that developments surrounding the case before judgment raised concerns about fairness.
He recalled that the matter was initially assigned to another judge before it was withdrawn and reassigned to Justice Lifu after a similar case was filed, describing the development as suspicious. He also alleged that the court denied the Abure-led group the opportunity to respond to issues raised in counter-affidavits before proceeding to judgment.
The Abure faction further accused its opponents of celebrating the outcome even before the judgment was delivered, with claims circulating on social media that the party would be handed over to Governor Alex Otti.
Ifoh maintained that the Court of Appeal had previously recognised Julius Abure’s National Working Committee as the authentic leadership of the party, a decision that Nenadi Usman had challenged at the Supreme Court. He noted that the Supreme Court, rather than endorsing any leadership, declined jurisdiction on the grounds that party leadership matters are internal affairs.
He questioned what he described as a reversal by the Federal High Court, which he said had now gone ahead to pronounce a caretaker leadership despite the Supreme Court’s clear position. He added that the apex court never ruled that the tenure of the Abure-led executive had expired.
The statement explained that the party’s national convention was held in March 2024, before the expiration of the executive’s tenure in June 2024, and that the convention produced the current leadership. On that basis, the group dismissed claims of a leadership vacuum as unfounded and illogical.
The Abure-led leadership urged party members nationwide to remain calm, assuring them that all legal steps would be taken to defend the party’s constitution and internal processes. It insisted that the Labour Party was not for sale and would not relinquish its leadership position under pressure or influence.
