A Federal High Court in Abuja has issued a significant ruling concerning the leadership of the Labour Party (LP), effectively removing the executive led by Julius Abure and invalidating candidates produced under his tenure for electoral purposes. Justice Peter Lifu, presiding over the case on Wednesday, declared the Senator Nenadi Usman-led executive as the authentic leadership of the party.

The court's decision was based on a comprehensive review, referencing an earlier verdict by the Supreme Court delivered on April 4, 2025. This apex court judgment had previously invalidated the Abure-led executive and underscored that Abure ought not to remain in office after the expiration of his tenure. Justice Lifu explicitly stated that evidence presented before the court clearly established that Mr. Abure's tenure as the LP's national chairman had indeed elapsed.

Consequently, the Federal High Court issued an order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognize the Ms. Usman-led caretaker committee as "the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party," pending the party's convention to elect new substantive leadership. This ruling stemmed from a suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025 (also referred to as THC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025), which was lodged before the court by the former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, naming Mr. Abure, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), and INEC, among others, as defendants.

Justice Lifu dismissed Mr. Abure's argument that the matter constituted an internal affair of a political party and was therefore non-justiceable. The court firmly held that the establishment of the LP caretaker committee was "a necessity" that arose directly from the order of the Supreme Court, emphasizing the legal imperative behind the committee's formation.

The genesis of this leadership dispute can be traced back to a significant crisis that had engulfed the Labour Party. Following this crisis, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party convened and resolved to remove Mr. Abure as the National Chairman. To address the resulting leadership vacuum, the party subsequently constituted a 29-member caretaker committee. This committee, tasked with interim leadership, was headed by Senator Nenadi Usman, a former Finance Minister.

The formation of the caretaker committee followed an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party, which was hosted in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, by Governor Alex Otti. This pivotal meeting, where Mr. Abure's removal was finalized, was notably chaired by Mr. Peter Obi, the party's 2023 presidential candidate and a former ally of Abure.

Dissatisfied with these developments and resolute in his assertion of leadership, Mr. Abure had previously approached the Federal High Court to validate his position as the National Chairman. In affidavits supporting his claims, he maintained that he was lawfully elected as the Acting National Chairman at a NEC meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021. He further stated that during a subsequent NEC meeting in Asaba, Delta State, on April 18, 2023, tenures of state chairmen were renewed, anti-party members expelled, and vacancies filled. Ultimately, he asserted he was elected National Chairman at the party’s national convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, and under his leadership, the party successfully produced governorship candidates in Edo and Ondo states.

While both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had initially upheld Mr. Abure's position and ordered INEC to recognize him, these concurrent decisions were later overturned by the Supreme Court. In the lead judgment, prepared by Justice Inyang Okoro, the apex court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Usman, Chairman of the caretaker committee, and Hon. Darlington Nwokocha, its secretary. The Supreme Court also dismissed Mr. Abure's cross-appeal, sternly admonishing political parties to adhere strictly to their internal rules when appointing officers and imploring officials whose tenures have elapsed to vacate their positions.