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…say it is a boost for party stability
By Gloria Ikibah
The Labour Party (LP) caucus in the House of Representatives has praised the Supreme Court’s decision to remove Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party and said the judgment will help stabilize and rebuild the party.
According to the caucus, the ruling is a reminder that no leader should act like a ‘god’ in a democracy, where power belongs to the people.
In a statement, LP Caucus Leader, Rep. Afam Victor Ogene, who described the judgment as a much-needed boost for the party, which has faced leadership struggles, thanked the Supreme Court for its clear decision, saying it gives the party a fresh start.
Naijablitznews.com recalled that the apex court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which recognized Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgment on Friday, April 4, 2025 a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to pronounce Abure as the National Chairman of the LP, having earlier determined that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
Rep. Ogene stated that, following this clear-cut judgment, the Labour Party will hasten to implement necessary mechanisms to restore internal peace and get the party back on track, in order to reassure its teeming members of the party’s viability for future elections and its commitment to leadership that prioritizes the interests and welfare of the people. In fact, by next week, we expect the National Caretaker Committee, NCC led by respected former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, to convene an all-inclusive stakeholders meeting to chart the way forward.
The lawmaker eemphasised hat the party’s leadership crisis could have been prevented if the ousted chairman and his team heeded the Caucus’ advice, or addressed the concerns of other stakeholders.
According to him, “these stakeholders, had urged caution and greater sensitivity in managing the party’s affairs. But in a brazen display of arrogance and naked power-mongering, Abure had ignored these warnings, thus creating an environment for crisis to fester.
“For instance, in March 2024, LP Reps called for the postponement of the National Convention of the party scheduled to take place by the end of that month, in order to allow for further consultations in the light of the party’s lingering leadership skirmishes”.
The Caucus had emphasised at the time that the party’s health and sustainability were paramount, given its internal conflicts. And as direct representatives of the people, they felt the party needed time to resolve its leadership issues and operational problems before holding a potentially divisive convention.
Rep. Ogene said that rather than heed that patriotic call, “the party leadership proceeded to unleash tirades against them, abusing them in the media and threatening that they would be denied the party tickets for re-election in 2027.
“That was not only insensitive but undemocratic and disrespectful to the caucus, whose only concern was the peace, unity, sustainability and progress of the party.
“It is this uncertainty of not being sure of getting party ticket in the next general elections that has made the Caucus to lose as much as six members,” he said.
