Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja has declared Julius Abure as the substantive Chairman of the Labour Party.
Delivering judgement, Justice Nwite affirmed the Abure-led leadership and the March 2024 Nnewi convention that produced the national leadership
He held that the plaintiff proved his case and the basis on the cogent verifiable documents the defendant attempts to impeach the validity of the leadership of Mr Abure fails
Justice Nwite ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Mr Abure as the legitimate chairman, overriding the Commission’s earlier stance that Mr Abure’s leadership was invalid.
The Electoral body had said that Julius Abure is no longer the National Chairman of the Labour Party, citing that his tenure ended in June 2024.
The announcement was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the Labour Party, challenging their exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
According to INEC, the Labour Party’s March 2024 National Convention, which re-elected Mr Abure as chairman, violated both the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Act.
As a result, INEC argued that the party’s leadership is invalid and that they only engage with parties that have legitimate leadership in place.