By Vincent Egunyanga, with agency report
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Senator Esther Nenadi Usman as the valid leader of the party pending the conduct of a national convention.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Peter Lifu relied on the April 4, 2025, decision of the Supreme Court, which he said established that Abure’s tenure had elapsed and that the party’s leadership vacuum warranted the constitution of an interim leadership structure.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, was filed by Usman against Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), with INEC also listed as a defendant. The judge held that evidence before the court showed that Abure no longer had the legal mandate to continue in office.
Justice Lifu dismissed Abure’s argument that the dispute was an internal affair of the party not subject to judicial intervention, holding that the setting up of a caretaker committee became necessary following the Supreme Court’s position on the leadership crisis.
The judgment ordered INEC to immediately recognise the Usman-led Caretaker Committee as the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention to elect substantive officers.
The leadership dispute followed a prolonged internal crisis within the party. The National Executive Committee (NEC) had earlier resolved to remove Abure and subsequently constituted a 29-member caretaker committee chaired by Usman at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, Abia State.
The meeting was chaired by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, and attended by key party stakeholders, including Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti.
Reacting to the judgment, the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) rejected the verdict, describing it as a misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s ruling and a contradiction of established judicial principles.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the faction insisted that the Supreme Court never removed Abure from office but merely declined jurisdiction on the ground that leadership disputes in political parties are internal matters.
The faction announced its decision to appeal the judgment, arguing that the ruling amounted to judicial interference in the internal affairs of the party and that Abure was lawfully elected at the party’s national convention held in March 2024.
They also alleged procedural irregularities in the handling of the case and urged party members to remain calm while the legal process continues.
Ifoh said, “Although we are yet to see the Certified True Copy of the judgment in order to fully comment on it, our position will become stronger when we do. However, from the brief we have received so far, it is clear that the party will appeal the judgment.
“Before today’s judgment, we suspected it might go this way because of the body language around the court. When the matter was first filed, it was assigned to Justice Omotosho, and suddenly there was a somersault, as another matter was filed which was similar in material respects. The one before Justice Omotosho was withdrawn and reassigned to Justice Peter Lifu. That was a red flag for us.
“Secondly, the court refused us the opportunity to respond to issues raised in the counter-affidavit filed by other parties and quickly adjourned for judgment. That was the second red flag.
“Our adversaries were all over the place jubilating weeks ahead of a judgment that had not been delivered, telling everyone they had already won. The jubilation by our adversaries was all over social media, claiming that today the judiciary would hand over the party to Dr Alex Otti.
“Looking at the judgment itself, Nigerians should recall that the Court of Appeal pronounced Julius Abure’s National Working Committee as the authentic leadership of the party. That pronouncement was what Nenadi Usman took to the Supreme Court, arguing that the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal were wrong to have pronounced someone as the chairman of the party.
“Ironically, today, a Federal High Court has made a somersault and pronounced someone as the Caretaker National Chairman of the party. So what is the judiciary turning into?
“To us, this is a clear contradiction of what the Supreme Court said. The apex court held that all matters relating to the leadership of a political party are internal affairs of the party, and that has been its consistent position.”
*Party loses bid to join FCT Feb 21 council polls
In a related development, the Labour Party also suffered a legal setback in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) after another ruling upheld the exclusion of its candidates from the forthcoming area council elections scheduled for February 21.
The judgment declined the party’s request to compel INEC to publish its list of candidates, holding that the suit was filed outside the statutory period allowed by law.
The decision effectively bars the Labour Party from participating in the FCT council polls, further compounding the party’s growing legal and organisational challenges.
The twin developments have deepened internal divisions within the Labour Party, raising fresh concerns over its cohesion, leadership stability and electoral preparedness ahead of future political contests.
