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Federal High Court Removes Julius Abure, Recognises Nenadi Usman as Labour Party Leader

 


BREAKING:

Federal High Court Removes Julius Abure, Recognises Nenadi Usman as Labour Party Leader


Abuja — In a decisive judgment that reshapes the leadership of the Labour Party (LP), the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has removed Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman and affirmed Senator Nenadi Usman as the head of its leadership structure.

Justice Peter Lifu delivered the ruling on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, declaring that Abure’s tenure had officially expired. The court anchored its decision on the April 4, 2025 judgment of the Supreme Court, which it said provided the legal foundation for the constitution of a caretaker committee for the party.


Court Orders INEC Recognition

In a consequential directive, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognise the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee as the only legitimate authority empowered to represent the Labour Party. This recognition will remain valid until the party conducts a fresh national convention to elect substantive national officers.

Justice Lifu stated that the continuation of Abure’s leadership lacked constitutional backing, noting that the caretaker arrangement became necessary following the intervention of the apex court.

“The evidence before this court clearly establishes that the tenure of Julius Abure has elapsed. The caretaker committee was a lawful and inevitable outcome of the Supreme Court’s earlier pronouncements,” the judge ruled.


Background to the Leadership Crisis

The judgment followed a suit (FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025) filed by Senator Nenadi Usman, challenging Abure’s continued claim to the party’s leadership. Abure had argued that the matter was an internal party issue beyond the jurisdiction of the court. However, Justice Lifu rejected this position, stressing that the dispute required judicial clarity due to the Supreme Court’s prior involvement.

The Usman-led caretaker committee emerged from an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia, hosted by Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and attended by the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, among other key stakeholders.


Implications for the Labour Party

With the ruling, the controversial Nnewi Convention, which had attempted to extend Abure’s leadership, has been effectively nullified. The Nenadi Usman-led committee is now mandated to:

• Reconcile factions within the party

• Oversee preparations for upcoming bye-elections

• Organise a transparent national convention for the election of new national officers

As at the time of filing this report, the Abure faction has yet to confirm whether it will pursue an appeal, though it has previously described legal actions against its leadership as attempts to destabilise the opposition.

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