The Court of Appeal Nigeria, Abuja Division, has dismissed the appeal filed by Julius Abure challenging the leadership of the Labour Party, affirming Senator Nenadi Esther Usman as the legitimate National Chairman.
In a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, with Justices A. B. Mohammed and Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike concurring, the appellate court upheld the earlier ruling of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The court held that the leadership dispute within the Labour Party had already been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court of Nigeria on April 4, 2025, when it nullified the convention that produced Abure as National Chairman.
The appellate court agreed that the Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, acted within its constitutional powers in directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Senator Usman as the party’s leader.
It further upheld the legitimacy of the party’s Caretaker Committee under Usman, describing it as a “doctrine of necessity” established to fill a leadership vacuum.
In a strong rebuke, the court criticised Abure for abusing judicial process, noting that he engaged in forum shopping by approaching a Nasarawa State High Court on a matter already decided by the apex court. The justices ruled that the appeal lacked merit and constituted a clear abuse of court process.
Consequently, the court dismissed the appeal and imposed a cost of N10 million against Abure for wasting judicial time.
Court of Appeal Dismisses Abure’s Appeal, Affirms Nenadi Usman as LP Leader
