The leadership crisis rocking the Labour Party took a fresh turn on Wednesday as the Julius Abure led faction rejected a Federal High Court judgment recognising Senator Nenadi Usman as the party’s leader and announced plans to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
Justice Peter Lifu of the FCT Federal High Court had, in his ruling, relied on an April 4, 2025, Supreme Court verdict to affirm the Esther Nenadi Usman led Caretaker Committee as the valid leadership of the party, effectively displacing the Abure led National Working Committee.
But in a swift response, the Abure camp dismissed the judgment as inconsistent with established judicial principles and vowed to pursue all legal options to reclaim control of the party.
According to the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Obiora Ifoh, stressed, “The judgment is a clear contradiction of the Supreme Court decision which stated that no court has the power to appoint leadership for any political party and that leadership issues are internal affairs of political parties,” He said.
He added that the group was relieved that the Federal High Court was not the final court, stressing, We will proceed immediately on appeal to place our position before the Court of Appeal.”
Although the IFoh reveled they are yet to obtain the Certified True Copy of the judgment, he also mentioned that the decision would be challenged. From the brief we have received so far, it is clear that the party will appeal the judgment.
Raising concerns about the handling of the case, Ifoh alleged irregularities in the judicial process,When the matter was first filed, it was assigned to Justice Omotosho, and suddenly there was a somersault and it was reassigned to Justice Peter Lifu. That was a red flag for us,” he said.
He further complained that the court denied the party the opportunity to respond to issues raised by opposing parties,The court refused us the chance to respond to the counter affidavit and quickly adjourned for judgment. That was the second he added.
Ifoh also criticised celebrations by the rival camp before the ruling, saying, Our adversaries were jubilating weeks ahead of a judgment that had not been delivered, claiming the judiciary would hand over the party to Dr. Alex Otti.”
On the substance of the ruling, the Abure faction argued that the court had contradicted itself, Ironically, today a Federal High Court has pronounced someone as Caretaker National Chairman, even after the Supreme Court noted leadership matters are internal affairs of the party. So what is the judiciary turning into, Ifoh asked.
He insisted that no leadership vacuum existed, stressing, The tenure of the executive has never expired. A National Convention was held in March 2024 before the expiration of the executive, which produced the present leadership of the party.
Describing the court’s conclusion as unfounded, “It is laughable for the court to say there was a vacuum without examining the legality of the convention held on March 27, 2024,” he said,
While urging members to remain calm, the Abure led group assured supporters of its resolve, The party is not for sale, Ifoh declared.’’
No amount of financial power will make us abdicate our leadership position. We will do everything within the law to ensure that justice is served in the interest of the party.
The ruling and the planned appeal have further deepened divisions within the Labour Party, setting the stage for another round of legal battles over its leadership.