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The Labour Party Candidates Forum (LPCF) has declared that there is no ambiguity regarding the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman as the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), insisting that her position is fully backed by law and party procedure.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the Chairman of the Forum and LP’s 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate, Barr. Okeme Adejoh, said the Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, which ruled that Barr. Julius Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had expired, cleared the path for the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) to appoint new leadership.
Adejoh hailed the verdict as “a landmark judgment” that restored sanity to the party’s internal structure after months of leadership crisis triggered by Abure’s refusal to relinquish power.
“We commend INEC for its respect for the rule of law and for protecting the integrity of internal party democracy,” Adejoh stated.
He called on the electoral body to formally recognize and reflect the NEC’s decision by updating its records.
“We call on INEC to upload the names of Sen. Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairman and Sen. Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary of the Labour Party, as duly appointed by the NEC to steer party activities ahead of the upcoming ward, local government, and state congresses, as well as the national convention,” he said.
The LPCF congratulated Senators Usman and Nwokocha on what it described as a “well-deserved victory” and commended their early efforts at repositioning the Labour Party for a stronger showing in the 2027 general elections.
However, the Forum issued a stern warning to Julius Abure, urging him to stop what it termed “disruptive antics” and to comply with both the Supreme Court and Federal High Court judgments that effectively removed him from office.
“The tenure of the former chairman and his team has expired. New leaders have been appointed to lead the party forward,” Adejoh stressed. “INEC is a regulatory umpire meant to serve political parties, not the other way around.”
He appealed to all aggrieved members of the Labour Party to “set aside bitterness and unite under the new leadership” in order to rebuild the party’s image and credibility.
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Also speaking, the Forum’s Secretary and 2023 Ebonyi State governorship candidate, Comrade Oko Eze, urged Abure and his loyalists to respect judicial authority.
“Judgments of Nigerian courts are meant to be obeyed. I’m not surprised that Julius Abure has refused to comply with the Supreme Court judgment that removed him,” Eze said.
“In my case, I won judgments against Abure at the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal, and finally at the Supreme Court, yet he refused to comply. When court judgments are ignored, what follows is autocracy and tyranny — Nigeria cannot afford that.”
Eze further reminded party members that Abure’s tenure had long expired, and his position was only possible through internal goodwill that has since lapsed.
“From 2019 to 2025, his tenure has long expired. Both the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court have affirmed this. We wish him well in his future endeavors, but as far as the Labour Party is concerned, his time is over,” he declared.
With the NEC’s appointments now in place, the Forum emphasized that Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership is legitimate, recognized, and geared towards restoring discipline, unity, and democratic values within the party.
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