This is not the best of times for Julius Abure as an Abuja High court on Wednesday declared his leadership of Labour Party over and affirmed the leadership of Nenadi Usman led Caretaker Committee the rightful organ to deal with concerning the Labour Party (LP).
Justice Peter Lifu relied on the April 4, 2025, verdict of the Supreme Court to declare a former Minister of Finance, Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, as the valid leader of the party.
Consequently, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to forthwith recognise the Senator Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as “the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party,” pending when the party convenes a national convention.
The judgement followed a suit marked: THC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, which the former minister lodged before the court.by
Aside from Abure, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) was also cited as a defendant in the matter.
Justice Lifu held that evidence before him established that Abure’s tenure as the national chairman of the LP had since elapsed.
While dismissing Abure’s contention that the matter was an internal affair of a political party, the court held that the setting up of the LP Caretaker Committee was “a necessity” that arose from the Supreme Court’s order.
Following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with the former Finance Minister, Usman, as Chairman.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State.
The meeting at which Abure was sacked from office was chaired by his former ally and the party’s 2023 presidential election candidate, Mr Peter Obi.
Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to validate his position as the National Chairman of the party.
In an affidavit he personally deposed to in support of the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure told the court that following the death of the National Chairman of the LP, he was lawfully elected as the Acting National Chairman of the party at a National Executive Council, NEC, meeting of the party that held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.
He told the court that on April 18, 2023, at the NEC meeting of the party held in Asaba, Delta State and duly monitored by INEC, it was resolved that tenures of State Chairmen whose tenures had expired be renewed
