The Court of Appeal situated in Abuja has affirmed that Julius Abure continues to hold the position of National Chairman of the Labour Party.
A three-member panel of the appellate court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Hamma Barka, determined that its ruling from November 13, 2024, which acknowledged Abure as the national chairman, remains in effect and has not been overturned by any other court.
Justice Barka made this declaration on Friday while rendering a decision in two distinct appeals lodged by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, the caretaker committee, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In the context of the two separate appeals, the appellate court stated that it refrained from addressing the matter of Labour Party leadership, as such matters are deemed non-justiciable.
The appellate court asserted that any action taken outside the bounds of jurisdiction is considered null and void. Consequently, the ruling of the Federal High Court issued on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite, bears no legal consequence due to its issuance without jurisdiction.
“We cannot say this appeal fails or succeed because the lower court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first place”, Barka held.
While striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction, he held that the appellate relied on its previous judgement of November 13 last year to hold that “Abure Remains National Chairman of the Labour Party”.
