The Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, has directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to officially recognise Julius Abure as the substantive Chairman of the Labour Party. The court also upheld the legitimacy of the party’s national leadership, which was elected during the March 2024 Nnewi convention, and ordered INEC to acknowledge this leadership.
This ruling comes after a period of contention within the party. In September, reports surfaced that the Julius Abure-led faction accused the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of betrayal after INEC refused to recognise Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
Earlier, INEC had filed a counter-affidavit in response to the Labour Party’s lawsuit, which challenged the party’s exclusion from the commission’s refresher training for uploading party agents in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections. With this ruling, Abure’s leadership has been validated, putting an end to the recent disputes over the party’s national leadership.