CTC of Supreme Court Judgement Affirms Obi-Backed LP Leadership

The Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgment on Labour Party leadership has been released, affirming legitimacy to the faction led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman.

The leadership of the faction is backed by the LP’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.

Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, read sections of the court document during a briefing on Wednesday, stating that the judgment effectively affirms Senator Usman’s leadership.

The judgment, delivered by a five-member panel of the apex court, invalidated an earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal which had recognised Barrister Julius Abure as the national chairman of the party.

The Supreme Court determined that the appellate court lacked the jurisdiction to entertain the matter, as the issue at hand—party leadership—falls squarely within the domain of internal party affairs.

As a result, both the verdicts of the trial and appellate courts were overturned, and the Labour Party’s suit was struck out for want of jurisdiction.

Senator Usman, a former Minister of Finance, is expected to lead the transition committee until a new leadership is elected.

Meanwhile, at today’s meeting, vote of confidence was passed on Otti and Obi as well as the Usman-led leadership.