Labour Party in total mess as three factions fight over Chairmanship position

The leadership crisis within Nigeria’s Labour Party (LP) took a dramatic turn on Wednesday as Lamidi Apapa publicly declared himself the party’s National Chairman, citing a recent Supreme Court judgment as the legal basis for his takeover.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Apapa claimed that the apex court’s ruling on April 4, which nullified all judicial recognition of Julius Abure’s leadership, had effectively cleared the path for his ascension.

Quoting the party’s constitution, he invoked Article 14 2(a)(b), which he said empowers the most senior deputy national officer to assume control in such circumstances.

“Following the decision of the Supreme Court on setting aside all judgments that recognise the leadership of Julius Abure as National Chairman, I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, Wednesday, the 9th of April, 2025, in an acting capacity,” Apapa declared.

He also announced Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim as the new National Secretary.

The Supreme Court’s five-member panel had ruled unanimously to void an earlier decision by the Court of Appeal that upheld Abure’s leadership.

The justices emphasized that issues of party leadership fall within the internal workings of political parties—matters over which courts lack jurisdiction.

The judgment also noted that Abure’s tenure had expired prior to the legal tussle.

But Apapa’s declaration was met with swift rebuttal from the Abure-led faction of the party.

Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, maintained that the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court ruling did not authorize any leadership change nor affirm the legitimacy of any caretaker committee.

“The CTC does not in any way state that the tenure of Abure has expired or that any other group should take over the party’s leadership. The leadership under Abure remains intact,” Ifoh asserted.

Adding to the complexity, prior to the Supreme Court’s verdict, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had met in Abia State and removed Abure, appointing a 29-member caretaker committee.

That committee, chaired by former Finance Minister and Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, and with Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary, continues to receive backing from influential figures like LP’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.

With competing claims to LP’s leadership and interpretations of the Supreme Court ruling now in play, the Labour Party appears headed into deeper political and legal turbulence.

A statement by Ifoh said: “The leadership of the Labour Party ably led by Barrister Julius Abure has been vindicated by the content of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court judgement between Nenadi Usman and the Labour Party.

“As promised earlier, we warned that Senator Nenadi Usman and her cohorts have been in the voyage of misleading Nigerians with wrong interpretation of the judgement of the apex court. (Attached is a copy of the CTC).
“There is no where it stated that the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure led executive has elapsed or that Nenadi Usman and her National Caretaker Committee has been directed to take over the leadership of the Labour Party.
“The Supreme Court emphatically stated that issues within the political party are internal affairs of the party and that party supremacy must be observed.
“It is pertinent for us to state clearly that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party. The highest organ of the party, the national convention has in March 2024 elected its leaders in line with the constitution of the party and electoral act and their tenure is subsisting.
“Consequent upon that, any meeting convened in disregard to the constitution of the party is illegal and the outcome null and void. We are therefore warning all those involved in the illegal meeting holding in Abuja to refrain from further factionalising the party and respect the constitution of the party as we will not fail to activate the provision of the party on disciplinary actions.”

As the tussle for the national chairmanship of the Labour Party (LP) intensifies, all eyes have now turned to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the body expected to bring clarity to the growing leadership confusion.

In the wake of a contentious NEC meeting in Abuja, Abia State Governor Alex Otti led a delegation of LP leaders to INEC headquarters, submitting the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the recent Supreme Court judgment.

The move is seen as a strategic effort to gain INEC’s recognition amid competing claims by Lamidi Apapa, Julius Abure, and the caretaker committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman.

The delegation was received by INEC’s Acting Chairman, Mr. Sam Olumekun, alongside other National Commissioners.

During the meeting, Olumekun reiterated the Commission’s steadfast commitment to neutrality, transparency, and strict adherence to the rule of law in executing its constitutional duties.

With the CTC now in its possession, INEC is expected to conduct an internal legal review of the Supreme Court’s decision before making a definitive stance on who it officially recognizes as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party.