The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has vehemently rejected Wednesday’s Federal High Court judgment in Abuja, which affirmed his removal and recognized Senator Esther Nenadi Usman as the party’s leader, announcing an immediate appeal.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, was a decisive turn in the party’s protracted crisis. It declared Abure’s tenure legally expired and upheld the Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the Labour Party’s only valid leadership. The court further ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize and engage with Usman’s committee immediately.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong, present in court, confirmed the judgment on social media, stating the judge reaffirmed that “by the Supreme Court’s judgement, Julius Abure’s tenure had since elapsed.”
However, in a swift and strongly-worded rebuttal, the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) denounced the verdict as a “clear contradiction” of the Supreme Court’s position and an affront to the party’s constitution.
In a statement issued in Abuja by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the faction argued that Justice Lifu’s court misinterpreted the Supreme Court’s April 4, 2025, verdict. They maintained that the apex court had clearly stated that no court has the power to appoint leadership for a political party, as such matters are internal affairs.
“It is curious that our adversaries were boasting and jubilating before the judgement was delivered,” the statement read, alleging suspicious conduct surrounding the case. The party cited the transfer of the matter from Justice Omotosho to Justice Lifu and the court’s refusal to allow them to respond to a counter-affidavit as “red flags.”
The statement sharply criticized the judgment’s logic, calling it “laughable.” It pointed out an irony: Nenadi Usman had originally gone to the Supreme Court to challenge lower courts that pronounced Abure chairman, yet now a Federal High Court has pronounced her caretaker chairman.
“What is the judiciary turning into?” the statement queried.
The Abure faction insisted there is no leadership vacuum. They argued that the NWC’s tenure was to expire in June 2024, but a national convention was held in March 2024, electing the current leadership before the old term ended. They contended that the Federal High Court erred by not examining the validity of that convention.
“The Supreme Court never said our tenure has expired. The Supreme Court simply declined jurisdiction because it was an internal affair of the party,” Ifoh stated.
The faction urged party members nationwide to remain calm, assuring them that the leadership would “do everything within the laws to ensure that justice is served.” The statement ended with a defiant note, warning, “The party is not for sale and no amount of financial power will make us abdicate our leadership position.”
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