By Abiola Olawale
The leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP) has shown no signs of abating, with the caretaker committee put in place by the 2023 presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti of Abia State have reportedly initiated legal action against the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure at the Supreme Court.
This is as the 29-member caretaker committee, set up Otti and Obi, has decided to challenge Abure’s leadership at the apex Court, triggering another wave of intra-party crisis within the LP.
This move comes after the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld Abure as the national chairman of the LP, affirming the party’s national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State in March 2024.
The caretaker committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, criticized the court decision, insisting that her group is the legitimate leader of the party. According to her, they were appointed into office during an emergency convention by duly accredited party stakeholders.
This was disclosed in a statement jointly signed by the committee’s National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, and the National Secretary, Darlington Nwokocha in Abuja.
The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the Friday verdict of the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, which validated the party’s March 2024 national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, and further affirmed Abure as the authentic LP National Chairman.
The statement reads in part: “The Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party is going to seek further clarification from the Supreme Court on the leadership dispute in the party. Senator Nenadi Esther Usman, the Chairman of the Committee, confirmed this fact at the weekend to clear the ambiguities in the ruling of the appeal court.
“The November 13, 2024, and January 17, 2025 rulings of the Court of Appeal have brought up issues that only the Supreme Court can clarify, and the Caretaker Committee has instructed their lawyer accordingly. We, therefore, instructed their supporters across the country to be patient.”
This is coming following the Court of Appeal Court decision in Abuja on Friday which affirmed the legitimacy of Abure’s leadership.
A three-member panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, had upheld the October 8, judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which directed the Independent National Electoral Commission, to grant the LP under Abure’s leadership, all the rights and privileges accorded a political party duly registered in the country.
The appellate court said it found no reason to dislodge the judgment that was delivered in Abure’s favour by Justice Emeka Nwite.
It would also be recalled that following a leadership crisis that rocked the LP, the National Executive Committee, of the party resolved to remove Abure as the National Chairman.
To fill the leadership vacuum, the party constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, with ex-minister Nenadi Usman, as Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary, respectively.
The decision was the outcome of an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party that was hosted in Umuahia by Governor Otti of Abia state and chaired by Peter Obi.
