The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has formally recognised the Labour Party (LP) National Working Committee (NWC) led by Nenadi Usman, in compliance with a Federal High Court order directing the electoral body to do so.
A check on the INEC website on Friday showed that the commission has now listed Nenadi Usman as the Caretaker Committee Chairperson of the Labour Party.
Other members of the recognised NWC include Senator Darlington Nwokocha as National Secretary, Hamisu Santuraki as National Treasurer, Aisha Madije as National Financial Secretary, and Eric Ifere as National Legal Adviser.
INEC’s action follows a January 21 ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Peter Lifu upheld Usman’s leadership of the party and ordered the electoral commission to recognise the Usman-led NWC.
Justice Lifu anchored his decision on an earlier Supreme Court verdict which declared Nenadi Usman as the authentic leader of the Labour Party.
According to the judge, evidence before the court showed that the tenure of Julius Abure as national chairman had elapsed, describing the establishment of a caretaker committee as a “necessity” arising from the apex court’s ruling. He subsequently directed INEC to recognise the Usman-led committee as the party’s lawful authority pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
The development has added another dimension to the long-running leadership crisis within the Labour Party, one of Nigeria’s major opposition parties.
Reacting to the ruling, the faction loyal to Julius Abure disclosed plans to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal. The group’s spokesman, Obiorah Ifoh, argued that the Federal High Court judgment contradicted the Supreme Court’s stance on internal party affairs.
Ifoh maintained that the apex court had consistently ruled that courts lack the power to appoint party leadership, insisting that leadership matters remain the internal affairs of political parties. He further noted that the Court of Appeal had earlier affirmed Abure’s NWC as the party’s legitimate leadership.
The Labour Party’s internal crisis dates back to the aftermath of the 2023 general elections, in which the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, secured over six million votes nationwide.
As preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum, Obi has since moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while the Labour Party appointed Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as its national leader.
