By Uche Amunike
The crisis in Labour Party has escalated, as the Abuja Federal High Court sacks Abure as the National Chairman of the party, after citing a Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the legitimacy of the Labour Party’s caretaker leadership led by Nenadi Usman.
The presiding judge, Peter Lifu relied on the Supreme Court verdict of April 4 2025 to deliver judgment and declare former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, valid leader of the Labour Party, pending when a national convention is conducted by the party.
Justice Lifu also ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the Usman-led caretaker committee as the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party, pending when the party elects a substantive leadership.
Recall that before this ruling, Usman had filed a suit, where he listed Julius Abure, the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and others, as defendants.
Judge Lifu, in his decision, held that the court sacks Abure as National Chairman because his tenure had expired. He dismissed Abure’s argument that the dispute was an internal party matter not subject to judicial intervention and therefore ruled that the establishment of a caretaker committee was a necessity that arose from the apex court’s directive.
The leadership crisis in the Labour Party already prompted the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to remove Abure from office. The party therefore constituted a 29-member caretaker committee led by Nemada Usman to address the vacuum.
This committee emerged from an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State and hosted by the Abia State governor, Alex Otti.
In the meeting, which was chaired by his former ally and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, it was resolved that Abure would be removed.
Abure, however challenged his removal in court while insisting that he remained the lawful national chairman of the Labour Party.
He stated, in an affidavit supporting his case, that he was duly elected Acting National Chairman during a NEC meeting that was held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He further explained that on April 18, 2023, during another NEC meeting in asaba, Delta State, the party renewed the tenures of state chairmen whose terms had expired, even as they expelled anti-party members and filled all vacant positions.
He elucidated that he was subsequently elected national chairman at the party’s National Convention held on March 27, 2024 in Nnewi, Anambra State, adding that under his leadership, the party produced governorship candidates in Edo and Ondo states.
Even though the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal earlier upheld Aburi’s position and mandated INEC to recognize him as National Party chairman, the Supreme Court eventually overturned those decisions.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the Supreme Court upheld the appeal filed by the chairman of the caretaker committee, Usman, as well as the committee’s secretary, Darlington Nwokocha, he dismissed Abure’s cross-appeal.
As the Court sacked Abure, political parties were reminded to comply strictly with their constitutions and internal guidelines in appointing officers, even as they directed officials whose tenures had expired to vacate their positions.
