Julius Abure, the factional National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), has vehemently defended his decision to approach the Supreme Court, clarifying that his actions are not an attempt to re-litigate settled issues. Instead, Abure insists that he is merely responding to fresh legal actions initiated by opposing members within the party, particularly those associated with the Nenadi Usman-led leadership. He emphatically stated, “I need to make it categorically clear here that I’m not the one that is re-litigating on what the Supreme Court has litigated on. Nigerians must know that the Labour Party under my leadership is not the troublemaker in the party.” This stance comes in the wake of the Court of Appeal’s recognition of the Nenadi Usman faction.

Addressing persistent claims that his leadership tenure had expired in 2024, Abure maintained that his leadership secured a fresh mandate well before the supposed deadline. He explained, “The tenure didn’t expire. The tenure was to expire on the 9th of June, 2024. And before the expiration of tenure, on March 27, 2024, a new national convention was held where the current leadership emerged.” Regarding his recent removal from the electoral body’s records, Abure clarified that this action was taken only recently, following a Federal High Court ruling earlier this year. He asserted that his name remained on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal up until January, thereby reinforcing his claim of continued legitimacy prior to the court’s decision. “That was recently. That was recently after the Federal High Court in January or February this year made that pronouncement. So, all along, up until January this year, my name has been in INEC,” he affirmed.

Abure also reacted to the significant ₦10 million fine imposed by the appellate court, acknowledging its weight. “Well, the Court of Appeal imposed 10 million naira. That’s a whole lot,” he noted. He further argued that recent court rulings, particularly those that recognize Nenadi Usman, directly contradict an earlier position established by the Supreme Court, which held that party leadership disputes are internal matters. He recounted, “You will recall that the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal went into the issue of the convention of the party and pronounced me as National Chairman of the party. That was what Nenadi Usman appealed against to the Supreme Court, which made the Supreme Court say issues of leadership are internal affairs of the party and that the two lower courts were not supposed to go into the issue of leadership.”

The factional LP chairman heavily criticised both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal for what he perceived as undue interference. He insisted that their pronouncements, especially those recognizing Nenadi Usman as chairman, run contrary to both established judicial precedent and specific provisions of the Electoral Act. “The same Nenadi Usman went to the Federal High Court in November this year and got the court to make a pronouncement, pronouncing her as the chairman of the party. And that is the crux of our matter: that the two courts are wrong to have made such a pronouncement because it is contradictory for the court to have made a pronouncement… because that was the position of the Supreme Court,” he elaborated.

Despite the ongoing legal battles, Abure suggested he remains open to reconciliation within the party. He claimed to have previously extended an “olive branch” following favorable rulings at both the Federal High Court and Court of Appeal. He lamented the protracted crisis, stating, “When I won in the Federal High Court and also when I won in the Court of Appeal, I extended an olive branch. Otherwise, this crisis wouldn’t have got to this level. You will agree that the party has lost a lot with this crisis. As of today, the party would have been one of the biggest parties—the biggest opposition in Nigeria—if they had accepted my olive branch, which I extended to them over a year ago when I won in the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.”

Commenting on speculation regarding a possible return of Peter Obi to the Labour Party, Abure indicated that any such decision would be contingent on the party’s future direction and the outcome of the legal proceedings at the Supreme Court. While referring to the Nenadi Usman-led faction, he stated, “She’s running the party now; that’s her opinion. If the Supreme Court brings us back, we’ll decide what to do. And if there’s time, we’ll decide what to do.” He further noted that Obi has not made any formal indication of a return, expressing strong doubts that such a move would materialize. Abure argued that the party had previously provided Obi with ample leadership opportunities which he failed to effectively utilize. “Peter Obi has not said he’s coming; he has not made any such offer. Of course, not to me—maybe to them. But I don’t think that Peter Obi will come back to the party. I don’t think so; I don’t feel so. In fact, I thought that Peter Obi had all the opportunity in the world to have managed the Labour Party effectively. Peter Obi mismanaged the party, mismanaged his fortune, and so coming back to the party to come and do what? When he had all the opportunities, we all deferred to Peter, gave him the opportunity, surrendered leadership to him, and Peter Obi could not provide leadership in the party,” he stressed.

In a strong rebuttal to accusations that he is responsible for the Labour Party’s internal crisis, Julius Abure squarely placed the blame on the actions of Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti. He stated, “I want to make it very clear that Peter Obi and Alex Otti created the crisis in the party. The party was moving easily, sailing; it was playing the role of opposition under my leadership. The crisis in the party actually started when Peter Obi and Alex Otti went to Umuahia to set up a caretaker committee. That was not my creation. I didn’t create the crisis. I was a unifier in the party, built the party. I took the party from nothing to where it was. It was the leadership that we provided that attracted Peter Obi to join the party. So, Alex Otti and Peter Obi are the ones that went to Umuahia and created a faction in the party, and that’s where we are. So, for me, you have seen that he has become a rolling stone that is difficult to gather moss.”