The recent judgment of the Owerri Division of the Court of Appeal effectively placed in the Senator Esther Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party (LP) National Working Committee (NWC) the authority to defend or litigate on behalf of the party, effectively ousting the former national chairman, Mr Julius Abure, the party has clarified.

This comes amid Abure’s plan to challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to grant him the access code to upload the names of various nominees for the forthcoming general election.

Clarifying this position in a statement, the LP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Eluma Asogwa, disclosed that the judgment on Appeal No. CA/OW/104/2026: Labour Party & 14 Ors. versus Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ABSIEC) & 4 Ors, which was delivered on July 2, 2026, clearly declared Abure a stranger to the party.

Asogwa said the LP welcomed the judgment wholeheartedly because it declared unequivocally that only the Senator Usman-led NWC is the true leadership and representative of LP.

Describing the judgment as a further judicial affirmation of the settled legal position regarding the authority to institute or maintain legal proceedings in the name of the party, the LP spokesman explained that the appeal arose from a pre-election matter following the decision of the Federal High Court.

According to him, “upon discovering that an appeal had been filed in the name of the Labour Party without the knowledge, approval or authorisation of the party’s recognised national leadership under Senator Usman, the National Legal Adviser, Mrs Taiwo Ajayi, promptly briefed Mr. C. Okoroafor through a formal letter of instruction dated June 22, 2026, to represent the party and take all necessary legal steps to withdraw the appeal.

“When the matter came up before the Court of Appeal, two separate counsel announced appearances on behalf of the Labour Party. Faced with the conflicting claims of representation, the court directed both counsel to produce documentary evidence establishing their authority to act for the party.”

Asogwa disclosed that, upon examining the documents placed before it, the court accepted the authority issued through the Office of the National Legal Adviser to Mr C. Okoroafor by the National Legal Adviser on behalf of the recognised national leadership of the party as the valid authorisation.

“Consequently, Mrs Oteh withdrew both her appearance for the party and the counter-affidavit earlier filed in opposition to the application seeking the withdrawal of the appeal,” he explained. “The court thereafter dismissed the appeal and awarded costs of ₦100,000 against the counsel acting on the purported authority of Mr C. K. Igara.