The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), bringing an end to the prolonged leadership crisis within the party.
Delivering judgment, Justice Peter Lifu relied on the April 4, 2025 decision of the Supreme Court to affirm former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, as the lawful leader of the party.
The court subsequently ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as the only legitimate authority representing the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.
The ruling followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, filed by Senator Usman. Julius Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) were listed as defendants in the matter.
Justice Lifu held that evidence before the court clearly showed that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had expired. He dismissed Abure’s argument that the issue was an internal party affair beyond judicial scrutiny, ruling instead that the establishment of the LP Caretaker Committee was a necessity arising from the directive of the Supreme Court.
The court recalled that following a leadership crisis within the party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to remove Abure from office and constituted a 29-member caretaker committee chaired by Senator Usman.
That decision was taken at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State, and hosted by Governor Alex Otti. The meeting, which ratified Abure’s removal, was chaired by his former ally and the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Aggrieved by the development, Abure had approached the Federal High Court seeking validation of his position as National Chairman.
In an affidavit supporting his suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure claimed he was lawfully elected Acting National Chairman at an NEC meeting in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021, following the death of the party’s substantive chairman.
He further told the court that at an NEC meeting held on April 18, 2023, in Asaba, Delta State—monitored by INEC—the party renewed the tenures of state chairmen whose mandates had expired, expelled members accused of anti-party activities, and filled vacant offices.
Abure maintained that the party subsequently held a national convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was duly elected National Chairman. He added that under his leadership, the party fielded candidates in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections.
Although both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal initially ruled in Abure’s favour and ordered INEC to recognise him, the Supreme Court overturned those decisions.
In a lead judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court upheld the appeal filed by Senator Usman and the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, while dismissing Abure’s cross-appeal.
The Supreme Court admonished political parties to strictly adhere to their constitutions in appointing officers and urged party officials whose tenures have expired to vacate office accordingly.
