Labour Party NEC passes vote of confidence in Nenadi Usman

• Abure-led faction kicks

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Labour Party (LP) and stakeholders on Wednesday passed a vote of confidence in the National Caretaker Committee (NCC) led by a former minister of finance, Nenadi Usman, to begin process of rebuilding the party to become the “party of choice in Nigeria.”

The NCC has been mandated to immediately commence plans to conduct ward, local government, state, zonal congresses and the national convention of the LP, where new leaders will emerge to lead the party to the 2027 polls.

The NEC meeting, which was held at Transcorps, Abuja, was attended by the Governor of Abia State, Mr Alex Otti; its 2023 presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi; his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed; senators and members of the House of Representatives; representative of the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero; various caucus leaders; and many stakeholders.

The NEC meeting by the Nenadi Usman-led NCC, was held barely two days after the faction of the LP under the leadership of the National Chairman, Mr Julius Abure, also concluded its own NEC at the Utako headquarters of the LP in Abuja.

Just like the Abure group did on Monday, the NCC also praised the April 4 judgment of the Supreme Court, as empowering it to rebuild the LP, following the end to the tenure of the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC).

Speakers on Wednesday, all laid to rest the debate over who controls the party.

Obi and Otti, in their separate speeches, extended the olive branch to the Abure group to team up with the NCC to rebuild the party.

“So, let’s rebuild from ward to national level to produce leaders. Everyone is free to participate to ensure fairness, and justice to all.

“We want to go into the next election with the best candidates for all elective positions. We want to correct mistakes we made in the past”, Obi told the session.

The former governor of Anambra State dismissed rumours of his alleged plan to abandon the LP or form a coalition where the party would become an appendage of another political party.

According to him, when a discussion to work with another group becomes necessary, it has to be jointly taken by all members of the party.

“In this case, the supreme court has done the right thing. LP won, not individuals. LP should be the party of choice in this country today. “However, this is the party of tomorrow.

“Let me assure you, we are LP. If we are going to discuss with another party, we will start from our house as LP”, he added.

On his part, Otti pledged to supply the NCC the next way he could to rebuild the LP.

“The rebuilding of our party starts today. I will support the NCC any way I can to conclude the process of the congresses and convention within a short period”, reassured.

The Abia governor spoke of the efforts he made to persuade Abure not to take the path of conflict.

The governor disclosed how after the NCC was appointed on September 4, 2024, he advised Abure against fighting, offering him the position of BoT chairman of the LP.

“I sat with Abure last year and offered him BoT chairman”, he stated, adding that he also gave him the option of re-contesting the office of national chairman again if he so wished, but rejected both offers.

“I told him that if I were you, I would not want you to lead people who don’t want you to lead them.

“We are still extending the olive branch to him and the former NWC”, Otti added.

He noted that much as Abure might not like the supreme judgment, he had no option than to obey it.

Otti Quoted from the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, which reads, “The 3 issues submitted for determination are hereby jointly
resolved in favour of the Appellants.

“In summary, both the trial court and the court below had no jurisdiction to entertain the suit of this 1st Respondent whose main relief, as they both rightly observed, was inserted as relief number five (5) as though it was an appendage.

“Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both trial court and the court below recognizing Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the 1st Respondent are hereby set aside and suit No.FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024 is hereby struck out for want of jurisdiction.

“In the same vein, the 1st Respondent’s cross-appeal
in Appeal No.SC/CV/56Aj2025 being an offshoot of the same judgment of the court below, is hereby dismissed.”

The NCC chairman, Nenadi Usman, described the latest development as the birth of a “new LP with a breath of fresh air.”

She appealed thus, “It is time for all to sheathe their swords. All should set aside their grievances so that we can team up to build a party for all of Nigeria.

“The time to build a vibrant opposition is now. Nigeria deserves good leadership as we push for a people-friendly LP.”

The NEC was wound down with a resolution taken to visit the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to formally present the CTC of the judgment to the electoral umpire and to begin the process of conducting congresses and the national convention of the LP.

Meanwhile, the Abure-led NWC, in a reaction, argued that the CTC actually vindicated him.

“As promised earlier, we warned that Senator Nenadi Usman and her cohorts have been on the voyage of misleading Nigerians with wrong interpretation of the judgment of the apex court.

“There is nowhere it stated that the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure-led executive has elapsed or that Nenadi Usman and her National Caretaker Committee have been directed to take over the leadership of the Labour Party.

“The Supreme Court emphatically stated that issues within the political party are internal affairs of the party and that party supremacy must be observed.

It is pertinent for us to state clearly that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the Labour Party. The highest organ of the party, the national convention had in March 2024 elected its leaders in line with the constitution of the party and the Electoral Act and their tenure is subsisting”, the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, reacted in a statement on Wednesday.

Describing the NEC called by the NCC as “illegal”, the Abure-led NWC warned against factionalising the LP, which it said could lead to “disciplinary actions.”

In a separate development, another LP member, Lamidi Apapa, declared on Wednesday that he had assumed the leadership of the party.

Apapa addressed some reporters in Abuja shortly after the Obi/Otti camp rose from its meeting.

Apapa too referenced the supreme court judgment, saying that having set aside the leadership of Abure, he (Apapa) being the most senior deputy national chairman, had taken over the LP’s leadership.

The text of his news conference reads, “The statement read, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman Bar Julius Abure, also by the Supreme Court on 4th April 2025, what this means is that all actions and decisions taken by Julius Abure since 4th April 2023, are null and void.

“Following the decision of the Supreme Court on setting aside all judgements that recognise the leadership of Julius Abure as National Chairman, I, ALH BASHIRU LAMIDI APAPA, the most senior deputy national, and in consonance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, Wednesday, the 9th day of April 2025, in an acting capacity, and Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary,” he stated.

“My leadership hereby calls on all members of the Labour Party that the National Working Committee of our party as of 2022 will meet next week, Monday, 14th April 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the position of National Chairman to the North and National Secretary to the South.”

He promised that his leadership would reposition the party by making a viable opposition within the shortest time.

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