The leadership turmoil within the Labour Party (LP) continues to escalate, akin to a persistent issue that refuses to be resolved, despite what was believed to be the final ruling on the matter.
The conflict reached a critical point yesterday when three factions asserted control over the leadership following a Supreme Court ruling that nullified the Appeal Court’s decision, which had confirmed Julius Abure as the national chairman.
The Supreme Court ruled that the lower court did not have the authority to handle the case.
While the Abure-led faction insists that there is no leadership void in the party following the Supreme Court’s verdict, the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party met yesterday and approved the formation of a transition committee under Nenadi Usman to begin rebuilding the party from the ground up.
The decision was made during the NEC meeting, which saw the participation of key figures such as Governor Alex Oti of Abia State, Peter Obi, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate, Nenadi Usman, and Joe Ajaero, NLC President, represented by Ibrahim Umar, the former NLC President, among others.
However, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, issued a statement asserting that the Supreme Court ruling did not imply the end of Abure’s leadership or that Usman’s National Caretaker Committee (NCC) had been authorized to take over.
Ifoh emphasized that any meetings convened without following the party’s constitutional procedures were illegal and any decisions taken would be invalid.
The Abure faction dismissed the claims of the NCC, stating that Usman’s committee and its supporters had no reason to celebrate since, according to them, the Supreme Court judgment had reaffirmed Abure’s position as party chairman.
During the NEC meeting, Obi and Oti displayed their support for the Usman-led NCC, presenting a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court ruling.
The leaders declared that the ruling affirmed Usman’s committee as the rightful leadership of the party, and they argued that the decision restored confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
Following the NEC meeting, Obi, Oti, and other leaders visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters, requesting recognition of Usman as the LP chair.
They were received by INEC’s Acting Chairman, Sam Olumekun, and other national commissioners.
INEC later confirmed the visit on its Twitter handle, stating that Governor Oti had presented the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment regarding the party’s leadership.
The commission emphasized that the meeting aimed to foster clarity and alignment concerning the LP’s current structure.
Olumekun reiterated INEC’s commitment to neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law.
There was some concern regarding the absence of INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, who was reportedly in The Gambia attending the ECOWAS Network of Electoral Commissions meeting.
This led to rumors about President Bola Tinubu allegedly sacking him, a claim which was clarified by INEC’s Chief Press Secretary, Rotimi Oyekanmi.
In the midst of the ongoing leadership struggle, Lamidi Apapa declared himself the national chairman of the Labour Party, citing the Supreme Court ruling as justification.
Apapa, who had been asserting his claim to the leadership since 2022, reaffirmed his position as party chairman at a press conference in Abuja, adding a new layer to the crisis.
Apapa, who had clashed with Obi in the run-up to the 2023 elections, had also attempted to derail the case Obi and the party filed to challenge the victory of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Apapa renewed his claim to the party’s leadership on Wednesday, announcing that the National Working Committee (NWC), as constituted in 2022, would meet on April 14.
He declared all decisions made by Abure since April 4 null and void and appointed Farouk Umar Ibrahim as interim National Secretary.
Apapa stated: “Following the decision of the Supreme Court on setting aside all judgments that recognize the leadership of Abure as National Chairman, I, Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, the most senior deputy national, and in consonance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, Wednesday, the 9th day of April 2025, in an acting capacity, and Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary.”
He continued, “My leadership hereby calls on all members of the Labour Party that the National Working Committee of our party as of 2022 will meet next week, Monday, 14th April 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the position of National Chairman to the North and National Secretary to the South. My leadership will also take proactive steps to resuscitate the moribund Board of Trustees and make it functional.”
Meanwhile, Obi expressed his concerns over the increasing hardship in the country during the NEC meeting and an expanded stakeholders’ summit in Abuja.
He remarked, “The numbers are clear; the indices are clear; people are getting poorer daily. Those that would call me to come and eat and drink with them, now see me and ask to bring something.” Obi added,
“Do not fear anybody. Those who were afraid yesterday didn’t do any better. We must speak out when things are going wrong. Nigeria is collapsing.”
Obi also emphasized that the LP would address past mistakes by ensuring that only credible and qualified candidates represent the party in the 2027 general election.
“Anyone seeking to contest under our party must be a committed member, not just someone passing through. They must be competent,” he stated.
Obi further called for an inclusive approach: “Let’s do the right thing, let’s go from ward to local government to state, to zone and nationally; everybody is free to contest. We will ensure fairness, and we want to build a party that will be fair and just, and people can look at and say, ‘This is how this party is.’”
“We want to go into the next election knowing fully well that we are offering Nigeria the best of people for House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governors, and every form of election. We want to correct the mistake we made in the past; we will be sure that whoever wants to contest must be a Labour Party member and not on transit,” Obi concluded.
