The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, has said the Federal High Court (FHC) has no jurisdiction to entertain the suit filed by Julius Abure against Esther Nanedi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party (LP).
The court in the judgement delivered on Saturday, said the Federal High Court erred and acted without jurisdiction by entertaining the leadership dispute brought before it by Abure.
The presiding judge also stated that the Federal High Court violated the right of the caretaker committee to a fair hearing by failing to consider its counter-affidavit filed in opposition to the suit before it.
He accordingly struck out the suit filed before the Federal High Court for lack of jurisdiction.
Usman in a joint statement with the Secretary Senator Darlington Nwokocha, said the Court of Appeal judgement of November 13, 2024i n Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024; Labour Party v. Olusola Ebiseni & Ors, Julius Abure, which admitted as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, “is completely inconsistent with the substantive judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal.
According to the statement, the judgement “pertains to the nomination of a governorship candidate for the Ondo State governorship election.
“It has no connection whatsoever to the leadership dispute, which was the crux of the instant suit.”
The caretaker committee reiterated the established legal principle in Nigeria that courts lack jurisdiction to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties, including leadership and management issues.
It commended the Court of Appeal for upholding the position that the leadership dispute in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024 is non-justiciable and outside the court’s jurisdiction.
The caretaker committee was appointed on September 4, 2024.
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