INEC Re-Enlists Julius Abure As Labour Party Chairman Following Court Order

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reinstated Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).

Checks on the website of the electoral body show that Abure’s name has been re-listed, alongside Umar Farouk Ibrahim, who has also been re-listed as the National Secretary of the party.

INEC stated that the re-enlistment of both leaders was in compliance with an order from the court.

The electoral commission did not specify the exact basis of its re-enlistment decision beyond referencing the court order.

In a similar vein, INEC also recognized Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, it did not clarify whether this decision was based on a court order, leaving questions about the legal standing of Anyanwu’s re-enlistment.

Since the Supreme Court ruling last month, Abure has maintained his claim to the position of National Chairman of the Labour Party.

He argues that the court had ruled that his chairmanship was an internal matter of the party, and thus not subject to judicial intervention. Despite this, there has been ongoing contention regarding the legitimacy of his leadership.

Naija News reports that Abia State Governor, Alex Otti and 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, along with other party members, have insisted on the validity of a Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman, following the Supreme Court ruling. They contend that the ruling effectively dismissed Abure’s position as Chairman.

Governor Otti took formal steps to assert the Caretaker Committee’s legitimacy by submitting a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment to INEC on April 9. This meeting aimed at clarifying the party’s internal leadership structure and ensuring alignment with the electoral body’s records.

An INEC source who spoke with Vanguard confirmed that the decision to re-enlist Abure was based on the interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment, which focused on jurisdictional issues rather than addressing the substance of the dispute.

The source explained that the court’s ruling implied that the status quo Abure’s leadership remained intact until further internal party decisions were made.

In another development, the Supreme Court also ruled in March that Senator Anyanwu should remain as PDP’s National Secretary, overturning prior rulings by the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal that had removed him from office.

The court emphasized that such disputes were within the party’s internal domain and not within the jurisdiction of the lower courts.

The PDP has faced its own leadership struggles, with Senator Anyanwu in a prolonged dispute with Sunday Ude-Okoye, who had been backed by some of the party’s governors.

However, the Supreme Court’s ruling reaffirmed the principle that internal party issues should be resolved within the party structure, outside the purview of the judiciary.

See their details on the INEC portal: