Manny Ita –
The Nigerian judiciary reached two critical milestones in the ongoing leadership crises rocking the nation’s main opposition parties. While the Supreme Court has paused to deliberate on the future of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Court of Appeal has delivered a definitive ruling on the leadership of the Labour Party (LP).
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has reserved judgment in the high-stakes appeal concerning the legality of the PDP’s November 2025 National Convention held in Ibadan.
A five-member panel, led by Justice Lawal Garba, announced that a date for the final ruling will be communicated to all parties. The appeal, filed by a faction led by Tanimu Turaki, seeks to overturn lower court rulings that nullified the convention. Turaki’s legal team argued that the convention was an internal party affair and that due process was followed.
However, previous judgments from the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal invalidated the gathering, citing the party’s failure to conduct valid state congresses beforehand. The final verdict will determine the legitimacy of the current national leadership and the party’s trajectory heading into the next election cycle.
In a unanimous decision, the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed the appeal filed by Julius Abure, affirming Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party.
Key Highlights of the Ruling:
- Abuse of Process: The three-member panel, including Justices Oyejoju Oyewumi, Abba Mohammed, and Eberechi Nyesom-Wike, described Abure’s appeal as an “abuse of court process.”
- Doctrine of Necessity: The court upheld the January 21 judgment of the Federal High Court, agreeing that the 29-member Caretaker Committee led by Nenadi Usman was a “doctrine of necessity” required to fill a leadership vacuum.
- Finality of Supreme Court Decisions: The justices noted that the Supreme Court had already settled the matter on April 4, 2025, by nullifying the convention that purportedly returned Abure as Chairman.
- Heavy Sanctions: The court imposed a ₦10 million fine on Julius Abure for “wasting judicial time” on a matter that had already been conclusively determined by the apex court.
The ruling reinforces the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) directive to recognize the Nenadi Usman-led committee as the sole legitimate leadership of the party. While Senator Usman hailed the judgment as a “victory for democracy,” Julius Abure has reportedly vowed to take the matter to the Supreme Court.
