Is Abure Coasting to Victory?

A recent judgement of the Federal High Court declaring as valid the Labour Party’s National Convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, which produced the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and Abure’s subsequent recognition by the Independent National Electoral Commission in line with the court judgment, may be the beginning of his triumph over the critical stakeholders in the party, Ejiofor Alike reports

T

he leadership crisis that plagued the Labour Party (LP) took a new twist recently when a Federal High Court in Abuja, in a judgment, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the embattled National Chairman, Mr. Julius Abure as the authentic chairman of the party, which the electoral body promptly obeyed.

Abure ran into trouble with INEC when the electoral body refused to recognise the party’s National Convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on March 27, 2024 where the embattled national chairman was said to have won a re-election for a fresh tenure.

 A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Steve Adehi, had written to the electoral umpire requesting for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the commission’s report on the convention but the commission denied monitoring the convention.

The critical stakeholders of the party believed the commission’s response was a de-recognition of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Also, in a counter affidavit in one of the court cases involving LP, INEC had declared that the tenure of the Abure-led executives had expired since June 2024.

INEC had subsequently refused to issue LP the Notice of the Refresher Training for Upload of Political Party Agents unto INEC’s Portal for Ondo State Governorship Election Scheduled to hold on November 16, 2024.

But Abure fought back, and in a suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/1271/2024, his leadership dragged the commission to court.

Meanwhile, having earlier lost the confidence of most of the critical stakeholders of the party, coupled with INEC’s non-recognition of his leadership, Abure was subsequently sacked by the expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the LP summoned by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State in Umuahia, on September 4, 2024.

A 29-member caretaker committee was also set up to replace the Abure-led NWC and organise the party’s congresses and national convention within 180 days.

The presidential candidate of the party in 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi and Otti, had in a letter dated September 6, 2024, notified the chairman of the electoral body of the setting up of a 29-member caretaker committee by the party’s expanded stakeholders.

They cited the “de-recognition of the Abure-led NWC by INEC effective June 2024,” as one of the reasons for the sack of the party’s leadership and the setting up of the committee headed by a former Minister of Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman.

With Obi and Otti seeking INEC’s recognition of the party’s caretaker committee, all eyes were on INEC to recognise the party’s authentic leadership.

 But in a dramatic twist, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in the Abuja, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/1271/2024, recently ordered INEC to accord the LP under Abure’s leadership all the rights and privileges of a political party duly registered in Nigeria.

In the suit, the plaintiff had among others, sought: “An order compelling the defendant to accord the plaintiff’s political party under Abure’s leadership, all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in Nigeria as well as a cost of N5 million.”

In the affidavit filed in support of the suit, Abure, who personally deposed to the affidavit, stated that: “In line with the plaintiff’s 2019 constitution and extant electoral laws, the plaintiff’s national convention was convened on March 27, 2024 at Nnewi, Anambra State and I was lawfully and duly elected to the office of the national chairman at the said national convention of the plaintiff.”

Delivering the judgement, Nwite held that “the plaintiff has proved his case” and subsequently granted all the reliefs sought, except the prayer for cost.

While appreciating the judiciary, particularly Justice Nwite, for his courage and integrity in delivering a judgement that upheld justice and allegedly resisted external pressures, Abure, in  statement, also appreciated “Justice Omotosho of the Federal High Court, who had earlier validated the Labour Party’s convention held in Nnewi,” saying his judgement became the foundation for other rulings.

“Additionally, Justice C. K. Nwankwo of the Abia High Court also deserves recognition for resisting pressure and avoiding granting kangaroo interim and interlocutory orders against me and the party,” Abure said.

Abure added: “Now that the court has spoken, I offer my forgiveness to those who attempted to undermine our party, engaged in character assassination and blackmail especially of my person.”

He urged LP members involved in these actions to come forward with a repentant heart, and reconcile themselves with the party. 

“Only then can we truly move forward, heal our party, and work for the common good of Nigeria,” Abure added.

Abure also called on Obi to help unite the party.

But in a three-paragraph statement written by Usman after a meeting with Obi, Otti and the caretaker committee secretary, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, she stated that they had resolved to appeal the judgement, adding that the case actually preceded the formation of the caretaker committee.

However, in what was seen as a major setback to Obi, Otti and other critical stakeholders of the party, INEC last week recognised Abure’s leadership in line with the court judgment.

In a letter addressed to Abure and the National Secretary of LP, Alhaji Umar Farpuk Ibrahim, the Secretary of the INEC, Mrs. Rose Oriaran- Anthony, invited them to the fourth consultative meeting with the political parties, held last Thursday in Abuja.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the National Secretary of the LP, Ibrahim, said though the party was unjustly excluded from previous engagements, he was satisfied that it had obeyed the court order by recognizing LP as one of the 18 registered political parties.

“With the issue of leadership now completely resolved, I urge every member of the party to rally round the Abure leadership. What transpired is only a family affair and we will as a family work towards restoring confidence to the party and every aggrieved or misled member of the party.

“Labour Party will come back stronger but we need everyone to join in the process of rebuilding the party. It is a ‘no victor no vanquished’ situation. We are all winners. The party is however supreme and every member must work towards achieving set targets of the party,” Ibrahim said.

Without prejudice to the pending appeal, the court judgment and INEC’s action may be the beginning of Abure’s triumph over the major stakeholders in the party, given the avalanche of previous court cases, which ended in his favour.

 However, without genuine reconciliations and concessions on his part, Abure may triumphantly end up as a general without troops as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Obi, Otti and most of the critical stakeholders have lost confidence in his leadership.

Notes for File

Testing Mamman’s Age Policy in Court

A commendable suit by a 15-year-old student against the Federal Ministry of Education, JAMB and NUC over an outdated and long-abandoned policy being implemented by the Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, which seeks to deny young Nigerians below the age of 18 years admission into the universities and create out-of-school children, has surfaced at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The student, Master Chinaemere Opara, in Senior Secondary School (SSS), filed the suit through his father and a lawyer, Mr. Maxwell Opara.

Mamman had in July stated that beginning from 2025, candidates under 18 years of age would not be allowed to sit for the University Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The announcement, however, sparked opposition from education stakeholders, including Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), and some parents.

Some parents and teachers who alleged that the policy was designed to create out-of-school children in a particular section of the country, had called on President Bola Tinubu to call the minister to order before he destroys education in a certain part of the country.

However, in his six reliefs, Opara is seeking a declaration that the government’s minimum age for admission policy to restrict the age of Nigerian citizens for admission into universities in the country is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

He said it amounted to a gross violation of his right to freedom of expression as guaranteed under Section 42 of the 1999 Constitution, 2011 (as amended) and Article 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13(2), 17 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap A9 Vol. 1 LFN.

Opara, therefore, sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents, from attempting to disturb, breach or interfere with his rights.

The applicant stated that he knows as of fact that in Nigeria, there is no specific age limit for gaining admission into universities apart from the requirements that candidates meet certain academic qualifications, such as having a minimum number of credits in relevant subjects and passing the UTME.

A few years ago, a Federal High Court gave a sound judgment abolishing the quota system barrier put in place by the federal government to deny many students admissions into Unity Schools on the grounds that it was discriminatory.