By Perpetua Onuegbu
Abuja: (NAN)/ Flowerbudnews: The Labour Party says Supreme Court has upheld the judgement of Appeal court that Mr Julius Abure is the National Chairman of Labour Party maintains that the matter is an internal affair of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary, Labour Party, Mr Obiora Ifoh made this known in a statement issued on Friday by in Abuja.
He said the the Supreme Court in it’s judgement insisted that the lower courts should have declined jurisdiction and shouldn’t have made pronouncement on the leadership of a political party.
Ifoh said owing to this the court struck out Senator Nenadi Usman’s appeal at the Appeal Court and the Labour Party suit at the trial court.
“The supreme court judgment didn’t sack Labour Party National Chairman Mr Julius Abure rather it rightly upheld the preceding and accumulated high courts and appeal court judgments upholding the responsibility of Labour Party structures to choose its leaders.
“The judgement did not also set aside the Appeal Court judgement in Labour Party vs Ebiseni and 2 others (CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024) delivered on the Nov.13, 2024 which affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
“The judgement is still valid and subsisting and has not been appealed. The implication is very clear. Barrister Julius Abure remains Labour Party national chairman.
“The question is: who are the leaders of the party? The party constitution is clear as who are the leaders of the party. The leadership of the party has been the National Working Committee led by Mr Julius Abure.”
According to Ifoh the party constitution is also clear on who has the power to call for the national convention or any national meeting.
“Article 14 of 2024 constitution as amended gives powers to the National Secretary of the party ..”to issue notices of meetings of the national convention, national executive council, the national working committee in consultation with and approval of the National Chairman.”
He said the National convention of the party was called by the leadership of the party on the March 27, 2024 where the leaders of the party emerged.
The national secretary said the report of the National Convention was already with INEC and that leadership is recognised by INEC.
Ifoh said the celebration by some persons that the leadership of Julius Abure has been sacked was misleading and that the Supreme Court didn’t say so.
He said the leadership of the party was satisfied with the judgement of the apex court which reaffirmed Abure as the national chairman of the Labour Party.
“Also the current national working committee as validly elected having been duly nominated, endorsed, and ratified through the internal mechanism of the Labour Party statutory organs in line with the party’s constitution.
“We are therefore calling on all true members of the Labour Party to abide by the judgement of the apex court, and to always resort to internal party mechanism in resolving party affairs and not to always rush to the court.
“It is only the political parties that have the powers to choose its leaders not the courts.
Everybody must learn to respect the decisions of the party and its Constitution.
“The position of the Supreme Court is that the structures of the party is capable of handling any matters as it concerns its affairs and as it is today, the Labour Party National Chairman is and remains Barrister Julius Abure.(NAN)
