The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has raised an alarm over an alleged plot by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), in collaboration with a factional group, to forcefully take over the party’s national secretariat.
This development followed a recent Supreme Court ruling that has deepened divisions within the Labour Party, with both the Julius Abure-led faction and the Peter Obi-backed group claiming legitimacy over the party’s leadership .
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, April 6, the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, accused the NLC and a breakaway faction led by Nenadi Usman of planning an illegal invasion of the party’s headquarters on Monday, April 7, 2025.
According to the Labour Party, the NLC, alongside hired thugs and a dissident faction intends to break into the party’s offices, vandalize property, and cart away sensitive documents. The statement claimed that the operation is being funded by the Abia State government and a “prominent leader” within the party.
The LP described the move as a desperate and unlawful act, stressing that the NLC, as a trade union, is legally barred from partisan politics. The party further accused the NLC of previous attempts to disrupt its operations, including past invasions of its national headquarters.
The Labour Party referenced a recent Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 5, 2025, which affirmed that internal party disputes must be resolved through the party’s own mechanisms. The ruling reportedly did not authorize any external body, including the NLC or the so-called National Caretaker Committee (NCC), to take over the party’s leadership .
The statement claims that Barrister Julius Abure, who was elected as National Chairman in March 2024, remains the party’s legitimate leader, the statement insisted. “Any attempt to forcefully usurp the present leadership will be resisted,” the party declared.
Read full statement:
Planned Invasion of Labour Party Offices will be resisted – LP Scribe
It has come to the knowledge of the leadership of the Labour Party that the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC is mobilizing its members, hired thugs and some miscreants in concert with the illegal Nenadi Usman led National Caretaker Committee (NCC), and the National Transition Committee (NTC) to invade the National Secretariat of our party.
According to the source, the invasion which is allegedly funded by the Abia state government and one other prominent leader in the party is expected to commence as from Monday 7th of April 2025.
During the invasion, the NLC will attempt an unlawful break and entry into offices at the national headquarters with the aim of carting away sensitive documents and to also vandalise the properties belonging to the party.
We view this action which is capable of breaching the peace of the Federal Capital Territory as irresponsible and an evidence of desperation on the NLC. The Labour Union which the laws that founded it forbids them from partisan politics has at different occasions in the past mobilized miscreants to desecrate the National Headquarters of the party and vandalised the properties.
It must be noted that the judgement of the Supreme Court delivered on the 5th of April, 2025 is very clear and unambiguous. The judgement simply mandates political parties to always resolve their crisis using internal mechanism, and that the issue of leadership is an internal affairs of the political parties. There is no where in the judgement that gave NLC, National Caretaker Committee or any other body by whatever nomenclature to take over the leadership of the Labour Party
There is a leadership in place in the Labour Party and Barrister Julius Abure who was validly elected at a convention held in March 2024 still remains the National Chairman of the Labour Party. Any attempt to forcefully usurp the present leadership will be resisted.
We are by this statement calling on the attention of the security agencies including the Police, the DSS amongst others to ensure that any activity that is capable of breaching the peace of the FCT must be nipped in the bud and that the masterminds, no matter how high they might be, are apprehended and made to face the full wrath of the law.
SIGN
Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Secretary
Labour Party
06/04/2025
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