The Federal High Court in Abuja has officially removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately recognize the caretaker leadership committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu ruled that the leadership dispute within the Labour Party had been conclusively settled by the Supreme Court’s April 4, 2025 ruling, which affirmed Senator Usman—a former Minister of Finance—as head of the party’s caretaker committee pending the next national convention.
The judge emphasized that based on the Supreme Court’s decision, INEC is legally compelled to acknowledge the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee as the legitimate authority empowered to act on behalf of the Labour Party.
The court case, numbered FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, was filed by Usman against Julius Abure and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
Justice Lifu observed that the documentary evidence clearly demonstrated that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had expired. He dismissed Abure’s assertion that the dispute was an internal matter beyond the jurisdiction of the court, citing the Supreme Court’s earlier ruling that deemed the leadership tenure issue subject to judicial scrutiny.
The judge further explained that the formation of the caretaker committee followed the apex court’s nullification of earlier rulings that had permitted Abure’s continued occupation of the office.
This leadership crisis originally culminated in Abure’s removal by the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), which constituted a 29-member caretaker committee chaired by Usman. The decision to remove Abure was ratified at an expanded stakeholders meeting held in Umuahia, Abia State, hosted by Abia Governor Alex Otti and presided over by the Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Abure had challenged his removal in court, arguing that he was duly elected and reaffirmed at the Labour Party’s national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, in March 2024. Initially, both the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled in his favor. However, the Supreme Court overturned these decisions, upholding the appeal by Usman and caretaker committee secretary Darlington Nwokocha. The apex court cautioned all political parties against violating their constitutions and tenure limits.
Wednesday’s ruling effectively ends Abure’s leadership claims and confirms the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee’s authority over the Labour Party’s affairs ahead of its next national convention.
