The Labour Party (LP) House of Representatives Caucus has welcomed Friday’s Supreme Court judgment removing Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman, describing it as a vital step toward restoring stability and reinventing the party.
The leader of the caucus, Victor Ogene, in a statement issued shortly after the verdict, described the ruling as a “veritable tonic for the revitalisation of the party,” which has been engulfed in a protracted leadership crisis.
He expressed gratitude to the apex court for what he termed a decisive judgment that offers the LP a new lease of life.
According to the caucus, the ruling also serves as a warning to leaders who attempt to play ‘god’ in a democracy, where authority ultimately rests with the people.
Ogene said that with this clear-cut judgment, the Labour Party can now begin the urgent task of implementing mechanisms to restore internal harmony and reposition the party.
This, he said, is necessary to reassure its teeming members of the LP’s viability ahead of future elections and its commitment to a people-centered leadership.
“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,” he added.
The Lawmaker emphasized that the leadership crisis could have been averted if the ousted chairman and his team had heeded the caucus’ earlier calls for caution and inclusiveness in managing party affairs.
He recalled that several stakeholders had advised the Abure-led leadership to act with greater sensitivity, but instead, he chose to ignore those warnings, creating a toxic atmosphere that allowed the crisis to escalate.
“For instance, in March 2024, LP Reps called for the postponement of the party’s National Convention scheduled for the end of that month to allow for broader consultations in light of the ongoing leadership tussle.
“The caucus emphasized at the time that the health and sustainability of the party were paramount, given its internal conflicts.
“As direct representatives of the people, we believed the party needed time to resolve its issues before convening a potentially divisive convention,” Ogene explained.
However, instead of responding to that patriotic call, Ogene said the party leadership launched attacks against members of the caucus, including media smear campaigns and threats to deny them tickets for re-election in 2027.
“That was not only insensitive but also undemocratic and disrespectful to the caucus, whose only concern was the peace, unity, and progress of the party,” he said.
Ogene further revealed that the uncertainty surrounding the 2027 party tickets has already caused the caucus to lose six of its members.
