Labour Party Implodes: Obi, Otti-Backed Caretaker Committee Faces Off Against Abure’s Faction

The Labour Party’s internal leadership crisis intensified on Saturday as the 29-member caretaker committee, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, demanded that Julius Abure step down as the party’s national chairman.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The committee, established by Abia State Governor Alex Otti and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, maintains that it is the legitimate leadership body of the party.

In a statement issued in Abuja, Senator Usman asserted that party stakeholders empowered the committee during an emergency convention. She further criticized Abure’s continued claims to the chairmanship, citing recent court rulings.

The dispute follows a Court of Appeal judgement delivered on Friday in Abuja, which upheld Abure’s position as the party’s national chairman.

The appellate court affirmed the Labour Party’s March 2024 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, declaring it valid. Justice Hamma Barka, who led the three-member panel, ruled that the party’s leadership matters were not justiciable, deeming actions outside the court’s jurisdiction null and void.

This decision overturned an earlier Federal High Court ruling delivered on October 8, 2024, by Justice Emeka Nwite.

Caretaker Committee Challenges Ruling
Despite the appellate court’s verdict, the caretaker committee, in a statement signed by Senator Usman and National Secretary Darlington Nwokocha, criticized the judgement.
They claimed that the Federal High Court made significant errors, lacked jurisdiction, and violated their right to a fair hearing.

The statement read, “As the duly recognized National Caretaker Committee Chairman and Secretary of the Labour Party, we, on behalf of ourselves and other members, feel compelled to issue this press release to correct the record. The Court of Appeal affirmed that Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, filed by Julius Abure, pertains to a leadership dispute over which the Federal High Court has no jurisdiction.”