The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has unanimously dismissed the appeal filed by Barrister Julius Abure challenging the leadership of the Labour Party, affirming Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate National Chairman, imposing a N10 million cost against Abure for wasting judicial time, and strongly criticising the former chairman for abuse of court process and forum shopping on a matter the Supreme Court had already conclusively determined.
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The three-member panel, in a lead judgment delivered by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi with Justices A.B. Mohammed and Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike concurring, affirmed the decision of the Federal High Court and held that the appeal was “devoid of merit and constituted an abuse of court process.”
The ruling effectively closes another chapter in the Labour Party’s protracted leadership crisis, reinforcing the legal position established by the Supreme Court in April 2025 and leaving Abure with no further avenue to challenge Usman’s leadership short of a fresh application to the Supreme Court itself.
The Labour Party leadership dispute has traversed all three tiers of the Nigerian judiciary over the past year.
On April 4, 2025, the Supreme Court conclusively settled the dispute when it nullified the convention that had purportedly returned Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party. That ruling removed Abure from the chairmanship and created the legal basis for an alternative leadership structure.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, a caretaker committee headed by Senator Nenadi Usman was constituted to provide leadership to the party. The committee’s formation was based on the doctrine of necessity, a legal principle that permits extraordinary measures to fill a governance vacuum and prevent institutional collapse.
On January 21, 2026, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, reaffirmed the Supreme Court’s earlier judgment and directed INEC to recognise Senator Usman as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party “to the exclusion of all others.”
Dissatisfied with that decision, Abure filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in suit No. CA/ABJ/CV/255/2026, titled Barr. Julius Abure & Anor v. Sen. Nenadi Esther Usman & 3 Ors, seeking to overturn the Federal High Court’s judgment.
The appellate court’s unanimous ruling addressed several key legal questions and resolved each against Abure.
On the finality of the Supreme Court’s decision, the Court of Appeal held that the Supreme Court had, on April 4, 2025, “conclusively settled” the leadership dispute within the Labour Party when it nullified the convention that returned Abure as National Chairman. The word “conclusively” is legally significant as it means the matter cannot be relitigated at any lower court.
On the Federal High Court’s power to direct INEC, the appellate court agreed with the trial court that the Federal High Court possessed the constitutional power under Section 251 of the Constitution to compel a statutory Federal Government agency to perform its functions. This means the order directing INEC to recognise Usman as National Chairman was within the court’s jurisdiction and properly made.
On the doctrine of necessity, the appellate court endorsed the trial court’s finding that the constitution of the caretaker committee headed by Usman was justified under the doctrine of necessity, which was “needed to provide leadership in the party when there appeared to be a vacuum.” This ruling provides legal validation for the caretaker structure that has been governing the Labour Party since the Supreme Court’s intervention.
On abuse of court process, the Justices strongly criticised Abure for engaging in what the court described as abuse of process. They noted that Abure had persisted in laying claim to the leadership of the Labour Party “despite the clear and unambiguous pronouncement of the apex court.”
On forum shopping, the court specifically criticised Abure for filing proceedings at a Nasarawa State High Court on a matter that had already been decided by the Supreme Court. Forum shopping, which involves filing cases in multiple jurisdictions in search of a favourable ruling, is considered a serious abuse of the judicial process and is strongly disapproved by Nigerian courts.
The court did not merely dismiss the appeal but imposed a cost of N10 million against Abure “for wasting judicial time on a matter that had already been conclusively determined.”
The imposition of costs at this level is relatively unusual in Nigerian appellate practice and reflects the court’s view that Abure’s appeal was not merely unsuccessful but was brought in bad faith, without legal merit, and for the purpose of prolonging a dispute that the highest court in the land had already resolved.
The N10 million fine sends a broader message to litigants across Nigeria’s political landscape who persist in filing appeals and fresh suits on matters that have been definitively settled by superior courts. At a time when courts are overwhelmed with political party disputes, the imposition of punitive costs may serve as a deterrent against the kind of serial litigation that has characterised Nigeria’s opposition party crises.
The Court of Appeal’s criticism of Abure for filing proceedings at the Nasarawa State High Court on a matter already decided by the Supreme Court is particularly significant in the current political context.
Forum shopping has become endemic in Nigerian political litigation, with parties filing similar or related cases in multiple jurisdictions simultaneously, seeking favourable rulings from different judges. The practice creates contradictory court orders, confusion about which ruling prevails, and opportunities for parties to cherry-pick the most favourable order from competing jurisdictions.
The ADC leadership crisis provides a contemporary example of this phenomenon, with cases filed simultaneously before multiple Federal High Court judges, state high courts, and the Court of Appeal, producing competing orders and status quo directives.
The Court of Appeal’s decision to not only criticise forum shopping but to impose a N10 million cost for it establishes a precedent that could influence how courts handle similar behaviour in the ADC, PDP, and other ongoing party disputes.
Senator Nenadi Usman, the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, described the ruling as “a victory for democracy and the rule of law.”
She commended the judiciary for “its courage and steadfastness in upholding justice despite attempts by certain elements to undermine its integrity.”
Usman expressed gratitude to party members and supporters across the country for their “patience, loyalty, and unwavering commitment during the period of uncertainty.”
She urged all stakeholders to remain focused on the party’s forthcoming congresses and national convention, signalling that the Labour Party is preparing to move beyond its internal crisis and position itself for the 2027 elections.
The party also appreciated members of the media for professional and objective reporting and called on Nigerians to continue to place their trust in the Labour Party as preparations intensify.
The Court of Appeal’s ruling provides the Labour Party with the legal clarity it needs to move forward under Usman’s leadership.
With the Supreme Court having nullified Abure’s convention in April 2025, the Federal High Court having directed INEC to recognise Usman in January 2026, and the Court of Appeal now unanimously affirming both decisions while imposing costs against Abure, the legal foundation for Usman’s leadership is now established across three tiers of the judiciary.
Unless Abure attempts a further appeal to the Supreme Court, which would face the significant obstacle of the apex court having already ruled on the substantive issue, the leadership question appears settled.
This allows the Labour Party to focus on its organisational preparations for 2027, including conducting congresses, holding a national convention under Usman’s leadership, and positioning itself as a viable platform in what is shaping up to be a complex and competitive electoral landscape.
The Labour Party’s leadership crisis, which consumed months of litigation across multiple courts, offers a cautionary tale for other opposition parties currently embroiled in similar disputes.
The ADC, with three competing factions and cases before the Supreme Court and multiple lower courts, and the PDP, with rival conventions and competing claims to national leadership, face the same fundamental challenge: the inability of political actors to resolve internal disputes without judicial intervention, and the tendency to use courts as instruments of political warfare rather than as forums for genuine legal adjudication.
The Court of Appeal’s N10 million fine against Abure, its criticism of forum shopping, and its affirmation that matters “conclusively settled” by the Supreme Court cannot be relitigated, send a clear message to all parties engaged in political litigation: courts have limits, patience has limits, and those who abuse the judicial process will face consequences.
Whether that message is heeded by the politicians, lawyers, and parties currently flooding Nigeria’s courts with political cases remains to be seen.
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