The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party has taken a fresh turn, with the Julius Abure faction rejecting the recent Court of Appeal ruling that recognised Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s lawful leader.
The Abure camp has now said it will head straight to the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment, insisting it is not prepared to let the decision stand.
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Owerri, had ruled that only the party’s recognised national leadership under Usman has the legal backing to authorise and pursue court cases on behalf of the Labour Party. The judgment stemmed from a dispute over an appeal that was filed without the approval of the leadership acknowledged by the court.
Reacting to the ruling on Monday, spokesperson of the Abure faction, Obiora Ifoh, said the group was dissatisfied with the outcome but would still respect the court’s decision while moving to seek redress at the Supreme Court.
He maintained that the faction remains convinced that the apex court will eventually rule in its favour, stressing that questions surrounding party leadership are internal matters that should ordinarily be resolved within the party rather than through external interference.
Ifoh also argued that no court has nullified the Nnewi convention that produced Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s national chairman. According to him, the leadership that emerged from that convention remains valid and will continue to hold office until 2028.
He said the Appeal Court’s verdict was disappointing to the faction, but added that as law abiding Nigerians, they have accepted the decision for now and are already preparing to challenge it at the Supreme Court.
The Abure faction further expressed confidence that the Supreme Court would do justice to all matters before it, insisting once again that the issue of party leadership has consistently been treated by the apex court as an internal affair of political parties.
Ifoh maintained that, up till now, no court in the country has invalidated or questioned the legitimacy of the Nnewi convention, and for that reason, the Abure-led leadership remains the only lawful structure of the party in the eyes of the group.
While wishing the Nenadi Usman camp well for the moment, he said the faction remains certain that the legal battle is far from over and believes the final outcome will eventually swing in its favour.
