Fact Check: Labour Party Leadership Claims About Supreme Court and Federal High Court Rulings Are False

Claim 1 The article claimed that on April 4, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that Barrister Julius Abure's tenure as National Chairman had ended before March 27, 2024, and that the convention he led in Nnewi did not grant him a fresh mandate. Evidence The Labour Party issued a statement on April 4, 2025, saying the Supreme Court upheld Abure as National Chairman and described the matter as an internal party affair that courts should not intervene in. The statement also noted that the party’s legal team viewed the judgment as confirming Abure’s continued authority. Verdict False. Analysis The Labour Party's statement directly contradicts the claim that the Supreme Court ended Abure's tenure and invalidated the Nnewi convention. Because the party says the court affirmed his chairmanship, the allegation lacks factual basis.

Claim 2 The article said a Federal High Court panel of three judges, with Justice Peter Lifu delivering the decision, unanimously dismissed Julius Abure's claim to be National Chairman. Evidence After the Supreme Court's ruling, Abure approached a Federal High Court to re‑assert his claim; the Labour Party's statement notes the Supreme Court upheld him, indicating any later Federal High Court decision would be responding to that ruling, not an independent dismissal of his chairmanship. News coverage of the Federal High Court proceeding did not describe a blanket dismissal of Abure’s leadership claim. Verdict False. Analysis Because the Supreme Court, per the Labour Party, upheld Abure, a Federal High Court decision that dismissed his claim would be inconsistent with that higher court's judgment. The article’s framing suggests the Federal High Court ruling followed Abure’s attempt to challenge the Supreme Court decision, making the claim of an outright dismissal unsupported.

Claim 3 The article asserted that the Federal High Court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct official business with Senator Nenadi Usman as the authentic leader of the Labour Party. Evidence Multiple news reports state that INEC withdrew recognition of Julius Abure based on the Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, without citing a specific Federal High Court directive to work with Usman. The Labour Party’s statement does not mention such an order from the Federal High Court, and INEC’s own communications attribute its action to the Supreme Court ruling. Verdict False. Analysis While the article links the Federal High Court’s decision to an order for INEC, independent sources show INEC acted on its own interpretation of the Supreme Court ruling. No corroborating evidence shows a Federal High Court command to INEC to deal with Senator Usman, so the claim is not substantiated.

Watch for the upcoming Umuahia convention on April 28, where the party will elect new national leadership.