Court Orders INEC to Recognise Nenadi Usman as Labour Party Leader

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, as the valid leader of the Labour Party (LP).

Justice Peter Lifu gave the directive in a judgement delivered on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, relying on the April 4, 2025, decision of the Supreme Court. The court consequently removed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the party.

Justice Lifu held that Abure’s tenure had elapsed and that the party could not be left with a leadership vacuum. He ordered INEC to forthwith recognise the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the only lawful authority to represent the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.

The judge rejected Abure’s argument that the matter was an internal party affair and therefore non-justiciable, ruling that the constitution of the caretaker committee was a necessary consequence of the Supreme Court’s verdict.

He affirmed that all the issues raised by Usman were resolved in her favour, noting that any contrary decision would amount to judicial rascality and insubordination to the apex court.

The judgement followed a suit filed by Usman, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2262/2025, in which Abure and the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) were listed as defendants.

Abure had been removed by the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) amid a leadership crisis, leading to the formation of a 29-member caretaker committee chaired by Usman. The decision was reached at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting held in Umuahia and hosted by Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, and chaired by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Abure had approached the Federal High Court to validate his position as national chairman but was unsuccessful.