The tenure of Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, LP , has expired, according to a ruling by a federal High in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The court gave the judgment following a suit filed by the Abure-led LP faction, in trying to assert himself as the authentic National Chairman of the party, following a protracted leadership crisis.
The magazine reports that another faction of the party led by Senator Nenadi Usman,a former Minister of Finance is also laying claim to the leadership of the party.
The unending crisis has forced INEC to exclude the party’s candidates from the nationwide bye-election slated for Saturday , August 16 2025.
Ruling on the matter brought by Abure, the federal high court ruled that his tenure has expired since June 2024, and he can no longer preside over the affairs of the party.
The court said it based its judgment on the Supreme Court ruling of April 4, 2025, which affirmed that Abure’s tenure alongside the National Executive Committee, NEC, has expired over a year ago.
In her reaction to the judgment, Senator Usman said the “lingering doubt” that has hitherto existed over the tenure of Abure as the National Chairman of the nparty has now been finally put to rest by the court.
She stressed that the judgment is binding on the parties involved in the crisis, adding that “unambiguous” pronouncement of the nation’s apex court is the affirmation of the Constitution.
“This is another unambiguous affirmation of the rule of law and the Supreme Court’s binding pronouncements.
“The chapter is closed — we must put distractions behind us and rebuild the Labour Party into the disciplined, people-centred movement Nigerians deserve.
The Source earlier reported that Abure, while reacting to the exclusion of LP candidates from today’s bye-election across the country, warned that the INEC was embarking on a fruitless exercise, as the elections could be canceled.
In a statement on Tuesday, Obiora Ifoh, factional national publicity secretary of the Abure-led LP, said it will challenged the outcome of the election in court, as a way of protecting the image of the party.
Ifoh had cited the Electoral Act 2022 allowing any political party excluded from an election to approach the court for a remedy.
“The leadership of the Labour Party has advised that if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) goes ahead to conduct the August 16, 2025, bye-election without publishing the names of its candidates and ensuring that its logo appears on the ballot, it will seek the nullification of the election in line with the provision of the law,” the statement reads.
“The party has also called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to respect the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Law by discharging its duties as specified by the laws of the land and avoiding waste of taxpayers’ money.
“It accused INEC of working for interests that are anti-democratic and of wasting taxpayers’ money.
“INEC is gambling with the huge resources the country is spending on conducting the bye-election scheduled for August 16, 2025.
“We will not be helpless, as the law provides adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that shortchanges a political party or damages its image.
“A political party is expected to guard its image and reputation jealously, and the Labour Party will not take lightly any conduct by any agency or regulatory body intended to tarnish its reputation,” Ifoh stated.
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