*

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia 

Abia State Governor, Mr. Alex Otti, has advised Julius Abure and his allies in the Labour Party (LP) to accept the bitter truth of his permanent sacking and give peace a chance in the party. 

He counseled Abure following his claim that the Supreme Court verdict which nullified his position as national chairman was in his favour. 

Otti reacted to the Apex Court verdict during the inauguration of the new leadership of his political structure, Abia Arise, at Nvosi, Isiala Ngwa South Local Government.  

He expressed joy at the outcome of the legal battle over the leadership crisis in LP, saying that justice has been done to the party. 

“I was watching and saw some people making some claims about them not being removed by the Supreme Court. We can as well ignore them, but I will not ignore them. 

In their place, a Caretaker Committee headed by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman was set up and given the mandate to run the party pending the election of new leadership in a properly constituted national convention. 

But in spite of his non-recognition by not only the major stakeholders of LP but also by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Abure kept fighting. 

He got a lifeline from the Appeal Court, which upheld the disputed national convention of the party held at Nnewi where he was “re-elected” by affirmation. 

However, the bubble has eventually burst in his face as the apex court has set aside the earlier verdict of the appellate court, finally removing the reed he has been clutching to stay afloat. 

Otti, who is the only governor elected on the platform of Labour Party, reminded him that, “The party is bigger and more important than any of us put together.” 

According to him, the judgment of the Supreme Court has put paid to the posturings by Abure, adding that, “the triumph of evil over good is for a moment.” 

“So, we thank God for (the apex court verdict delivered on Friday). We somehow believed that justice will be done to the Labour Party,” he said.

Meanwhile, the faction of the Labour party loyal to Abure, yesterday, raised the alarm that Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had concluded plans to invade offices of the party across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, vowing to resist it.

In a statement by the National Secretary of the party loyal to Julius Abure, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, ”It has come to the knowledge of the leadership of the Labour Party that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC is mobilising its members, hired thugs and some miscreants in concert with the illegal Nenadi Usman led National Caretaker Committee (NCC), and the National Transition Committee (NTC) to invade the National Secretariat of our party.

”The invasion which is allegedly funded by the Abia State government and one other prominent leader in the party, is expected to commence as from Monday 7th of April 2025. 

”During the invasion, the NLC will attempt an unlawful break and entry into offices at the national headquarters with the aim of carting away sensitive documents and to also vandalise the properties belonging to the party,” he stressed. 

The Abure factional secretary added that, ”We view this action which is capable of breaching the peace of the Federal Capital Territory as irresponsible and an  evidence of desperation on the NLC. 

“The Labour Union which the laws that founded it forbids them from partisan politics has at different occasions in the past mobilized miscreants to desecrate the National Headquarters of the party and vandalised the properties.”

He said the judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on the 5th of April, 2025 was clear and unambiguous. 

“The judgement simply mandates political parties to always resolve their crisis using internal mechanism, and that the issue of leadership is an internal affairs of the political parties. 

“There is nowhere in the judgement that gave NLC, National Caretaker Committee or any other body by whatever nomenclature to take over the leadership of the Labour Party.”

But a verbatim report by the Nenadi Usman faction of the Labour party stated: ”A panel of five Justices of the Supreme Court—Honourable Justices John Inyang Okoro, Helen Morenikeji Ogu CCnwumiju, Tijjani Abubakar, Haruna Simon Tsammani, and Mohammed Baba Idris—sat to hear the appeal. The lead judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice John Inyang Okoro, JSC, and read on his behalf.

”The appeal was filed against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, in Appeal No. CA/ABJ/CV/2017/2024, which had earlier affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, commenced by the first respondent. The trial court had struck out the suit for want of jurisdiction.

”The facts that led to this appeal were comprehensively addressed in the body of the judgment.

”After reviewing the arguments of counsel, the Supreme Court unanimously held as follows:

The lower court, having found that Relief No. 5 sought by the first respondent—which was predicated on the leadership tussle within the first respondent—was non-justiciable, erred by proceeding further into a matter beyond its jurisdiction, even going so far as to pronounce Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the first respondent.

”Their Lordships held that the lower court was wrong to have done so. As expressed in the legal maxim: “You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.” Thus, the trial court’s decision had no legal foundation and deserved to be struck out.

”In reiterating the tripod of the law, the Court emphasized that where a court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the main claim in an action, it equally lacks jurisdiction to entertain any auxiliary or ancillary claims—especially when such auxiliary claims are directly tied to the substantive claim, as was the case here (see: Government of Gongola State).

”Accordingly, the three issues submitted for determination were jointly resolved in favour of the appellants,” the Usman faction stated. 

In summary, the verbatim report noted that, ”Both the Trial Court and the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit instituted by the first respondent.

”The relief in question—Relief No. 5—appeared to have been inserted as an appendage and lacked legal merit. Consequently, the decisions of both courts recognizing Barrister Julius Abure as National Chairman of the first respondent are hereby set aside.

”The suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction. Similarly, the first respondent’s cross-appeal in Appeal No. SC/CV/56A/2025, being a derivative of the same judgment of the lower court, is hereby dismissed.

”Before concluding, the Honourable Court admonished political parties and their members to respect and adhere to their constitutions, rules, regulations, and guidelines in the selection of their officers and candidates. Doing so would reduce the incessant interference of internal party matters in the courts. Where a party’s constitution provides for a tenure, political officers should honourably step down at its expiration.”