The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Julius Abure as the substantive National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the landmark ruling on Tuesday, validating the Abure-led leadership and affirming the March 2024 Nnewi convention, which produced the current national leadership.
This ruling is a major victory for Abure, who has been embroiled in a bitter leadership battle within the party. The court's decision compels INEC to officially recognise his leadership, effectively settling the factional dispute that has plagued the party in recent months.
The Labour Party has been in turmoil since September 2024, when the Abure-led faction accused the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, of betrayal. The allegations followed INEC's earlier stance, refusing to acknowledge Abure as the legitimate party chairman.
In a fiery statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Abure's faction blasted the actions of Governor Otti, who convened a controversial meeting in Umuahia. Abure's camp called the meeting "a charade" and accused Otti of overstepping his bounds within the party.
“As clearly stated in our previous statement, the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Otti, and all others who have converged in Umuahia have no power within the party constitution, the Electoral Act, or the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to convene any meeting of the party," the statement read. It went on to dismiss the so-called caretaker committee set up by Otti as "a department in the Abia State Government House" with no constitutional backing.
The Abure faction’s anger escalated as they questioned Otti’s authority, challenging him to produce any official communication from INEC objecting to the party’s national convention. They also dismissed the legitimacy of the caretaker committee chairman, alleging that she was not even a registered member of the party.
