The Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), bringing a decisive end to the party’s prolonged leadership tussle.
In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu relied on the Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, to affirm former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, as the legitimate leader of the party. The court also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Nenadi Usman–led caretaker committee as the sole authority authorised to act on behalf of the Labour Party pending the conduct of a national convention.
The judgment arose from a suit filed by Ms Usman against Abure, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), INEC, and other parties. Justice Lifu held that documentary and legal evidence before the court clearly showed that Abure’s tenure as national chairman had expired.
The court dismissed Abure’s argument that the dispute was an internal party matter beyond judicial intervention, ruling instead that the establishment of a caretaker committee was necessary and directly flowed from the Supreme Court’s directive.
The Labour Party’s leadership crisis had earlier prompted its National Executive Committee (NEC) to remove Abure from office. To address the resulting vacuum, a 29-member caretaker committee was constituted, with Ms Usman appointed as chairperson.
The committee emerged from an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State, and hosted by Governor Alex Otti. The meeting was chaired by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, a former ally of Abure, and culminated in Abure’s removal from office.
Abure, however, challenged the decision in court, insisting that he remained the party’s valid national chairman. In an affidavit supporting his case, he claimed he was lawfully elected acting national chairman at a NEC meeting in Benin City on March 29, 2021.
He further stated that at another NEC meeting held in Asaba on April 18, 2023, the party renewed the tenures of some state chairmen, expelled members accused of anti-party activities, and filled vacant positions. According to him, he was later elected substantive national chairman at the party’s national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, on March 27, 2024.
Abure also argued that under his leadership, the Labour Party successfully produced governorship candidates in Edo and Ondo states. Although both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had initially upheld his position and ordered INEC to recognise him, those decisions were subsequently overturned by the Supreme Court.
In its lead judgment, delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by Ms Usman and Darlington Nwokocha, the caretaker committee’s secretary, while dismissing Abure’s cross-appeal. The Supreme Court further cautioned political parties to strictly comply with their constitutions and internal guidelines, stressing that officials whose tenures had expired must vacate office.
The Federal High Court’s ruling now cements the authority of the Usman-led caretaker committee and effectively closes the chapter on Abure’s claim to the Labour Party chairmanship.
