The Federal High Court in Abuja, on Wednesday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise a former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman, as the valid leader of the Labour Party (LP).

In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court relied on the April 4, 2025 verdict of the Supreme Court to uphold Usman’s leadership and consequently removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party.

The court directed INEC to immediately recognise the Nenadi Usman–led National Caretaker Committee as the only lawful authority to represent the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.

The judgment followed a suit filed by Usman and marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025.

Abure and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) were listed as defendants in the suit.

Justice Lifu held that the evidence before the court showed that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had elapsed, adding that the party could not be left with a leadership vacuum.

While dismissing Abure’s argument that the dispute was an internal party matter and therefore non-justiciable, the court ruled that the constitution of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee was a necessity arising from the decision of the Supreme Court.

The judge stated that all the questions raised by Usman were resolved in her favour, noting that answering them differently would amount to “judicial rascality” and “judicial insubordination.”

He said he could not act in a manner contrary to the judgment of the apex court.

Justice Lifu consequently affirmed the removal of Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party and ordered INEC to recognise the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the party’s lawful leadership.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that following a leadership crisis in the party, the National Executive Committee (NEC) resolved to remove Abure as National Chairman.

To address the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with Usman as chairman.
The decision was taken at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party held in Umuahia and hosted by the Governor of Abia State, Mr Alex Otti.

The meeting, at which Abure was removed from office, was chaired by his former ally and the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr Peter Obi.

Dissatisfied with the decision, Abure approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to validate his position as National Chairman of the party.

In an affidavit personally deposed to in support of his suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, Abure told the court that following the death of the party’s former National Chairman, he was lawfully elected as Acting National Chairman.

He said this occurred at an NEC meeting held in Benin City, Edo State, on March 29, 2021.

Abure further stated that at a NEC meeting held in Asaba, Delta State, on April 18, 2023, and monitored by INEC, the party resolved to renew the tenures of state chairmen whose terms had expired.

According to him, the same meeting expelled some members for alleged anti-party activities and appointed replacements to fill the vacant positions created by the expulsions.

Abure also claimed that, based on a consensus reached at the meeting, the party later held its National Convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, where he was elected National Chairman of the Labour Party.

However, although both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal had earlier upheld Abure’s claims and ordered INEC to recognise him, the Supreme Court set aside the decisions, nullifying the concurrent judgments of the two lower courts.