Senator Victor Umeh the Senator for Anambra Central the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Labour Party crisis was clear that Julius Abure ceased to be the party’s national chairman. Victor Umeh commented on the change of ruling he said… by virtue of the apex court setting aside the Appeal Court’s ruling that recognized Abure as the party’s chairman, the judgment was in Favour of Nenadi Usman.
Speaking with Arise News on Wednesday, the Labour Party lawmaker explained that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had told Abure that his tenure and that of his executives had expired.
He stressed that it was on the premise of INEC’s stand on Abure that made the party stakeholders constituted Senator Usman’s Caretaker Committee to pilot the party’s affairs.
“Before this matter went to court, you have to understand that INEC had taken a position on the leadership of the Labour Party, that the tenure of the office of Abure and his led executive had expired, and ceased to deal with them as officers of the Labour Party,” he said.
The Anambra Central Senator explained that INEC shifted to recognizing Abure because of an Appeal Court ruling.
“INEC started recognizing Julius Abure as national chairman with his team, based on court order. And those court orders, the trial court and the court of appeal, have been set aside. So the orders, the two courts, by directing INEC to recognize Aburre as national chairman of the Labour Party, have been set aside by the Supreme Court,” he stated.
He noted that the Supreme Court, through its ruling,g has vacated the Appeal Court ruling that made INEC start recognizing Abure as the party’s chairman.
Senator Umeh stressed that what the ruling meant was that the party returned to the stage where INEC failed to recognize Abure, which led to the formation of Usman’s committee.
“What it means is that we have now been returned to the position where INEC rightly determined as the monitor and regulator of political parties, that their tenure has ceased to exist. And the party has taken some steps to fill the vacuum.
If you read the concluding pages of this judgment You will see where the Supreme Court summarized their findings on the appeal. By saying that the order made by the two courts below, directing that Julius Abure should be recognized as the national chairman of the Labour Party, is hereby set aside. It means that he should no longer be recognized as the chairman of the Labour Party.
“Prior to the matter coming to the Supreme Court, Abure was recognized as national chairman of the Labour Party by the orders made by the two courts below. Before then, he was not recognized as chairman of the party because his tenure has expired. He went to court. He was the one who went to court. And the court found his favor, the trial court, and the court of appeal. On further appeal by Nenadi Usman and the secretary on behalf of the National Caretaker Committee, the Supreme Court set aside the order made in his favor. He filed a cross-appeal. The Supreme Court dismissed his cross-appeal.
“How can you now come and begin to say that the state of affairs still remains the same? We have filled the vacuum, by creating the National Caretaker Committee, because we’re human beings, nature abhors vacuum,”
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