Victor EzejaSenior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Dr Monday Ubani, has urged the Supreme Court to issue what he called “an explanatory note” to clarify all misinterpretations of the recent judgment given on the leadership dispute in the Labour Party.
Dr Ubani gave the suggestion while commenting on the lingering controversy arising from varied interpretations of the Supreme Court judgment by the warring factions.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelA five-member Supreme Court panel had on 4 April unanimously given a judgment that quashed the Abuja Court of Appeal ruling that recognised Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s national chairman.
The apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked jurisdiction to confirm Abure as chairman of the Labour Party because the matter that led to the dispute concerned the party’s leadership, which courts had no jurisdiction.
The court upheld an appeal filed against the judgment by Nenadi Usman, the party’s caretaker chairperson, who was appointed in September 2024.
READ ALSO: Labour Party Crisis: By S’Court Ruling, Abure Is No Longer National Chairman – Sen. Umeh
While ruling that Ms Usman’s appeal was valid, the Supreme Court dismissed the cross-appeal filed by Abure for lacking merit.
However, the Abure’s faction and Usman’s camp have interpreted the judgment differently, with each claiming that it favours them.
The claims and counter-claims have further raised the stakes of the internal party rivalry.
In an interview on Arise News on Friday, Ubani expressed concerns about a situation whereby parties to a case resort to subjective interpretations after judgment has been delivered by the court to suit their personal agenda.
READ ALSO: Supreme Court Verdict: Confusion As Labour Party Faction Insists Abure Remains National Chairman
Ubani, who is the immediate past Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association’s Section on Public Interest litigation and Development Law (SPIDEL), said the best way to clear the confusion created by the parties about the judgment is for the Supreme Court to issue a summary note on its ruling.
The legal expert pointed out that in a situation where a case is appealed at the appellate court and the court rules that the appeal is dismissed, then it means the appellant has lost, but if it is upheld, then the appellant has won.
He said: “An individual won a case in the lower court and again at the appeal court; however, the Supreme Court ultimately dismissed the matter, ruling that the lower courts did not have jurisdiction to hear the case in the first instance.
“We saw a situation where both parties came out of the Supreme Court and were holding press conferences to celebrate their victories.
“To avoid all these ambiguities, the court can provide what we call ‘explanatory note’ or ‘summary pronouncement’ to avoid confusion, particularly concerning the finality of Supreme Court judgments.”
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He said that might bring to an end the rising trend of parties coming out of court to give different interpretations of a judgment to suit their personal agenda.
In a statement earlier, Ubani cited the leadership dispute between Senator Samuel Anyanwu and Mr. Okorie Okoye within the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where both factions claimed victory after the Supreme Court’s pronouncement, further fueling internal strife and confusing the public about who actually won.
He stressed that the judiciary’s authority and integrity are undermined when final decisions are reduced to mere opinions rather than binding orders.
He urged the Supreme Court to issue clearer and more explicit judgments, including detailed consequential orders to stop mischief.
The SAN also advised lawyers to respect ethical norms by providing genuine advice to their clients rather than manipulating judgments for partisan gain.
He also advocated active execution of contempt procedures against those who deliberately misinterpret or ignore court orders.
He urged lawyers, litigants, political actors, and the media to respect and preserve the Supreme Court’s authority to keep Nigeria peaceful, orderly, and under the rule of law.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
