Court orders INEC to recognise Nenadi Usman as Labour Party leader

The Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to recognised a former Minister of Finance, Sen. Nenadi Usman, as the valid leader of the Labour Party (LP).

In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court relied on the April 4, 2025 verdict of the Supreme Court to uphold Usman’s leadership and consequently removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party.

The court ordered INEC to forthwith recognise the Nenadi Usman–led Caretaker Committee as the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.

The judgment was sequel to a suit filed by Usman marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025
Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) were listed as defendants in the matter.

Justice Lifu said that the evidence before the court established that Abure’s tenure as the National Chairman of the party had elapsed and they could not leave a leadership vacuum in the party.

While rejecting Abure’s contention that the dispute was an internal party affair and therefore non-justiciable, the court held that the constitution of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee was a necessity flowing from the decision of the Supreme Court.

The judge said that all the questions asked by Usman were answered in her favour.

According to him, answering them otherwise would amount to judicial rascality and judicial insubordination and he could not go against the decision of the apex court.

He consequently affirmed the removal of Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and ordered INEC to recognise the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the party’s lawful leadership.

Our correspondent recalls that following a leadership crisis in the party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to remove Abure as National Chairman.

To address the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with Usman as Chairman.

The decision was taken at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party held in Umuahia and hosted by the Governor of Abia, Mr Alex Otti.

The meeting at which Abure was removed from office was chaired by his former ally and the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi.

Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to validate his position as the National Chairman of the party.

In an affidavit personally deposed to in support of his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure told the court that following the death of the National Chairman of the Labour Party, he was lawfully elected as Acting National Chairman.

He said this was at a NEC meeting held in Benin City, Edo on March 29, 2021.

He further stated that at a NEC meeting held in Asaba, Delta , on April 18, 2023, and monitored by INEC, the party resolved to renew the tenures of state chairmen whose tenures had expired.

According to him, the same meeting expelled some members for alleged anti-party activities and appointed replacements to fill vacant positions created by the expulsions.

Abure averred that, based on a consensus reached at the meeting, the party later held its National Convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra, where he was elected as National Chairman of the Labour Party.

Although both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had earlier upheld Abure’s claims and ordered INEC to recognise him, the decisions were set aside by the Supreme Court, which nullified the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts.