The Labour Party faction loyal to its National Chairman, Julius Abure, has reaffirmed its control of the party’s structure, distancing itself from the caretaker committee led by Esther Nenadi Usman, while announcing plans to challenge a recent court judgment affecting the party’s leadership.
In a communiqué issued after a virtual National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in March 2026, the Abure-led faction stated that the meeting was convened by duly elected state chairmen and secretaries who emerged from the party’s congress of December 6, 2025.
The faction accused the caretaker committee of causing what it described as “incalculable damage” to the party since its emergence, reiterating that it does not recognize any structure outside the leadership of Abure.
Reaffirming its position, the NEC expressed confidence in Abure’s leadership, noting that he was elected at the party’s National Convention in March 2024 and subsequently reaffirmed during a NEC meeting in November 2025, both of which it said were monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The meeting also directed Abure and the party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim, to proceed with an appeal at the Court of Appeal to overturn the judgment delivered on January 21, 2026.
The January ruling, delivered by a Federal High Court, had recognised the legitimacy of the caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman and questioned the validity of Abure’s leadership structure. The court effectively upheld the caretaker arrangement pending the resolution of internal disputes within the party.
However, the Abure faction rejected the judgment, insisting that due process was not followed and maintaining that only party organs, particularly the NEC and convention, possess the authority to determine leadership.
As part of its resolutions, the NEC further nullified notices and decisions issued by the caretaker committee and mandated its leadership to communicate its position formally to INEC.
The development underscores the deepening leadership crisis within the Labour Party, with parallel structures continuing to assert legitimacy despite judicial intervention. Political observers say the outcome of the pending appeal could prove decisive in determining the party’s recognised leadership ahead of future electoral engagements.
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