The leadership crisis in the Labour Party (LP) has further deepened as the National Caretaker Committee (NCC), headed by former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, has approached a Federal High Court in Zamfara State seeking to restrain the National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure, from parading himself as leader of the Labour Party.
Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, and other senior party officials belong to the faction led by the former minister.
This development comes weeks after the Supreme Court, in its judgement delivered on 4 July, declared that internal matters of political parties should be resolved through their internal mechanisms and not the judiciary.
Since the apex court’s ruling, both the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Abure and the NCC under Usman’s control have clung to the reins of power within the Labour Party, with no successful efforts made to resolve the dispute.
However, on 15 May 2025, Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim, who presided over the Federal High Court, Gusau, declined to grant the order sought by the representatives of Otti and Usman, pending the determination of the matter.
The judge ruled that all the respondents — including Abure, Ibrahim, the LP, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) — must first be put on notice before proceedings could continue.
