- Nenadi Usman chairs party’s NEC meeting
- Obi, Baba-Ahmed, Otti, Senators, Akpata, Achonu, others present
The leadership battles between the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and the Nenadi Usman Caretaker Committee, backed by Governor Alex Otti and LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, took a dramatic turn on Wednesday following the return of factional leader Lamidi Apapa.
Apapa, who had disappeared from the political circle in the past year, announced on Wednesday that he has taken over the leadership of the Labour Party following the release of the Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment.
In its recent judgment, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court had set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had recognised Abure as the party’s national chairman.
According to Apapa, the apex court verdict puts him in pole position to replace Abure being the most senior National Deputy Chairman of the party.
He disclosed this in a statement signed by the factional National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi.
In the statement, Apapa also announced that his National Working Committee, as of 2022, will officially meet next Monday (14th April 2025) to discuss zoning arrangements.
The statement read, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman, Julius Abure, also by the Supreme Court on 4th April 2025, what this means is that all actions and decisions taken by Julius Abure since 4th April 2023 are null and void.
“Following the decision of the Supreme Court to set aside all judgments that recognise the leadership of Julius Abure as National Chairman, I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, the most senior deputy national, and in consonance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby takes over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, in an acting capacity, and Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary.
“My leadership hereby calls on all members of the Labour Party that the National Working Committee of our party as of 2022 will meet next week, Monday, 14th April 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the position of National Chairman to the North and National Secretary to the South.”
Otti leads LP delegation to INEC, presents Supreme Court’s CTC
In another development, a delegation from the Labour Party, led by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, visited the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja on Wednesday to discuss recent developments within the party.
According to a post via the commission’s X handle, Otti presented a Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment regarding the party’s leadership.
The presentation was part of efforts to promote clarity and understanding about the party’s current leadership structure.
The delegation was received by INEC’s Acting Chairman, Sam Olumekun, and other National Commissioners.
The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between the LP and INEC, as well as reinforcing democratic principles.
Olumekun emphasised the commission’s commitment to maintaining neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law in fulfilling its constitutional duties.
The post read, “A high-level delegation of the Labour Party, led by Abia State Governor Dr. Alex Otti, on Wednesday visited the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja to discuss key developments within the party.
“During the visit, Governor Otti formally presented a Certified True Copy of the recent Supreme Court judgment concerning the party’s leadership. He noted that the meeting was aimed at fostering clarity, mutual understanding, and institutional alignment regarding the LP’s current structure.
“The delegation was received by INEC’s Acting Chairman, Sam Olumekun, and other National Commissioners. Both parties engaged in discussions centered on enhancing collaboration and reinforcing democratic values.
“Olumekun reaffirmed the commission’s unwavering commitment to neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.”
Olumekun is the Acting Chairman of INEC at the moment.
The Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, travelled to the Gambia to attend the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions’ meeting.
Nenadi Usman chairs party’s NEC meeting
Also, the Labour Party has held its National Executive Council meeting in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The meeting comes amid the controversy over the recent Supreme Court judgement on the national chairmanship position for the Labour Party.
It was held on Wednesday at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel and was chaired by former Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman.
In attendance were the 2023 LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, and the Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
Senators and members of the House of Representatives who are members of the party were also present.
Also present were the governorship candidates of the party in Edo and Imo States, Olumide Akpata, and Athan Achonu.
In her opening remarks, the party’s Caretaker Committee Chairman said the LP would review its governorship primaries for Anambra State and make its position known.
The primaries, which were held in Awka, the Anambra State capital, on Saturday, saw a former Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, Chief George Moughalu, emerge as the candidate of the Labour Party ahead of the November 8, 2025, governorship election.
It is the last primaries held by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee; days after the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Abure as the National Chairman of the LP.
In a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
Last week, the apex court held that the issue of leadership was an internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction, and noted that Abure’s tenure had since expired.
The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Esther Usman, and one other and held that it was meritorious before subsequently proceeding to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP for being unmeritorious.
Obi, Otti supporters jubilating for nothing, CTC vindicates Abure – LP spokesman
However, the Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party has dismissed the claim of legitimacy by the Nenadi Usman Caretaker Committee, saying their supporters were ‘jubilating for nothing.’
The National Publicity Secretary of LP, Obiora Ifoh, disclosed this on Wednesday.
Ifoh was reacting to the jubilation that greeted the presentation of the Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment on the Labour Party’s leadership crisis at the parallel National Executive Committee held by LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti in Abuja.
The LP spokesman mocked the gathering, saying there was nowhere in the CTC that the court mentioned that Abure must step aside.
“They are just jubilating for nothing. The Supreme Court judgment is clear about the position of the party leadership,” he said.
In a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, Ifoh warned Usman and her hordes of supporters to take a back seat and study the document properly.
He said, “As promised earlier, we warned that Senator Nenadi Usman and her cohorts have been on the voyage of misleading Nigerians with the wrong interpretation of the judgment of the apex court. (Attached is a copy of the CTC). There is nowhere it stated that the leadership of the Abure-led executive has elapsed or that Nenadi Usman and her National Caretaker Committee have been directed to take over the party leadership.
“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 the electoral act, and their tenure is subsisting.
“Consequent upon that, any meeting convened in disregard of the constitution of the party is illegal and the outcome null and void. We are therefore warning all those involved in the illegal meeting held 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.”
