- Abure: “This is Illegal, We ‘ll Challenge INEC”
- Usman: “INEC Made the Right Decision, Abure No Longer LP’s Chair”
By Abiola Olawale
The Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria is grappling with a deepening leadership crisis as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has derecognised candidates submitted by the faction led by Julius Abure for the August 16, 2025, by-elections and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) council polls.
This decision, seen as a blow to Abure’s group, comes after a Supreme Court judgment on April 4, 2025, which the popular camp claimed affirmed Senator Nenadi Usman as the authentic national chairman.
Recall that the Labour Party’s ongoing crisis stemmed from a protracted leadership dispute, with factions led by Abure and Usman, backed by key figures like the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, vying for control.
The crisis has now escalated as INEC failed to recognise any candidate for the Labour Party in the forthcoming by-elections being held across the country.
It was gathered that INEC didn’t include the names of the candidates because none of the primaries the Abure faction conducted were monitored by officials of the commission, a crucial requirement for validating political parties’ primaries and candidates.
The Abure-led faction has swiftly reacted to INEC’s decision, labeling it as “unlawful” and an “abuse of power.”
In a statement, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, argued that INEC lacks the constitutional authority to exclude the Labour Party from fielding candidates or interfere in its internal affairs.
The faction claimed its primaries were conducted in line with the Electoral Act 2022, despite INEC’s assertion that none of these primaries were monitored by the commission, a requirement for candidates validation.
Abure’s camp has vowed to challenge the action in court.
The statement reads in part: “The party is also aware that the INEC has no powers to either stop it from sponsoring candidates nor cherry-pick elections where it deems fit for our party to field candidates.
”It is on record that no court in Nigeria, including the Supreme Court, has derecognised the present leadership of the Labour Party. It is also a fact that the April 4, 2025 judgment of the Supreme Court ruled only on the lack of jurisdiction of the lower court and Court of Appeal,” Ifoh said.
In a counter-reaction, Ken Asogwa, the Senior Special Assistant on Media to Usman, said the exclusion of Abure’s candidates reflects INEC’s recognition of Usman as the legitimate national chairman.
Asogwa said: ”Though, unfortunately, the Labour Party’s candidates are missing on that list, it’s heartwarming to see that INEC is now beginning to give effect to the judgment of the Supreme Court delivered on April 4, 2025, which affirmed Senator Nenadi Usman as the authentic chairman of the Labour Party.
”Therefore, we urge the INEC as a responsible institution to take further steps by officially recognising Senator Usman as the valid chairman of the party.”
