Appeal Court Affirms Sen Nenadi Usman as Labour Party Chairman, Fines Abure N10m for Abuse of Court
The Court of Appeal has upheld the Senator Nenadi Usman led Caretaker National Working Committee of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgement delivered at the Abuja division of the court by a three-member panel comprising Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, with Justices A. B. Mohammed and Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike, the court dismissed the appeal filed by a former national chairman of the party, Mr. Julius Abure.
Delivering judgement in the appeal marked, CA/ABJ/CV/255/2026: Barr. Julius Abure & Anor v. Sen. Nenadi Esther Usman & 3 Ors , Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi who read the judgement affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court which held that the Supreme Court had effectively removed Mr. Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour party.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja had on January 21, 2026, gave judgement reaffirming the earlier judgment of the Supreme Court that removed Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the party, to the exclusion of all others.
In its ruling on Tuesday, the appeal court agreed with the trial court that the court below had the powers under Section 251 of the Constitution to compel a statutory Federal Government agency to perform its functions when it ordered INEC to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
The appellate court also agreed with the trial court that the constitution of the Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party, headed by Usman, was a doctrine of necessity needed to provide leadership in the party when there appeared to be a vacuum.
The Appeal Court also strongly criticised Mr. Abure for abuse of court process and for engaging in forum shopping at a Nasarawa State High Court on a matter already decided by the Supreme Court, and for persisting in laying claim to the leadership of the party despite the clear and unambiguous pronouncement of the apex court.
The court further held that the appeal was devoid of merit and constituted an abuse of court process.
Consequently, the court, while dismissing the appeal by Barr. Abure, imposed a cost of ten million naira against him for wasting judicial time on a matter that had already been conclusively determined.