The Federal High Court in Abuja has removed Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), affirming Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, a former Minister of Finance, as the valid leader of the party.
Delivering judgement on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu relied on the April 4, 2025 Supreme Court verdict, which had earlier recognised Usman as head of the party’s caretaker committee.
The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise the Usman-led committee as “the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party” until a national convention is convened.
The ruling followed a suit marked THC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, filed by Usman. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) was also cited as a defendant.
Justice Lifu held that evidence before him established that Abure’s tenure had expired, dismissing his argument that the matter was an internal party affair and therefore non-justiciable.
Background to the Crisis
The Labour Party has faced a prolonged leadership crisis since 2023. The National Executive Committee (NEC) had earlier removed Abure and constituted a 29-member caretaker committee led by Usman.
That decision was reached at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, hosted by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and chaired by Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
Abure challenged his removal in court, insisting he was lawfully elected at the party’s convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, in March 2024.
He argued that under his leadership, the party produced candidates for governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
While both the High Court and Court of Appeal initially upheld his case, the Supreme Court nullified those rulings, affirming Usman’s caretaker committee and stressing that political parties must abide by their own rules.
In its lead judgement prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court dismissed Abure’s cross-appeal and emphasised that officials whose tenures have elapsed must vacate their positions.
The ruling paved the way for Wednesday’s Federal High Court decision, which reinforced Usman’s leadership.
Usman Welcomes Ruling
Reacting to the judgement, Senator Nenadi Usman described it as a “victory for democracy and a turning point for the Labour Party.”
Speaking to TVC News, she expressed gratitude to her legal team and the judiciary: “I appreciate my team of lawyers and the judiciary for a job well done. I am also happy that the judiciary has again played its role in ensuring the continued development of democracy in Nigeria.”
She stressed that democracy thrives with an independent and assertive judiciary, adding that the ruling had brought an end to the leadership crisis that plagued the party since 2023.
Usman said the party’s priority would now be reconciliation and rebuilding. Plans are underway to organise congresses at local government, state, and national levels, culminating in a national convention to reposition the party.
On recent defections, including that of Peter Obi, she said: “Peter Obi and others who have moved have our blessing. We also understand why some of them left. It has been over a year of moving from one court to another to resolve these issues.”
She insisted that the Labour Party is not built around any individual and expressed confidence that the party would reorganize itself into a formidable political force.
While she has not spoken with Obi about a possible return ahead of the 2027 elections, she wished him well.
Usman further revealed that her faction had operated from a separate location during the dispute but expressed optimism that the judgement would allow them to take over the party’s national headquarters and reposition it.
“With the unambiguous judgement delivered by the court today, I expect that we will be able to take over and reposition the party going forward,” she said.
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