Kehinde Fajobi
The Labour Party (LP) Caretaker Committee, set up by Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, has announced its intention to take the leadership dispute involving the party’s embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure, to the Supreme Court.
In a statement released on Sunday and signed by the committee’s National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, and National Secretary, Darlington Nwokocha, the group expressed dissatisfaction with the Court of Appeal’s ruling affirming Abure as the authentic LP National Chairman.
The committee noted that the appellate court’s Friday verdict, which upheld the party’s March 2024 national convention in Nnewi, Anambra State, raised issues requiring clarification from the Supreme Court.
“The Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party is going to seek further clarification from the Supreme Court on the leadership dispute in the party,” the statement read.
It added, “Senator Nenadi Esther Usman, the Chairman of the Committee, confirmed this fact at the weekend to clear the ambiguities in the ruling of the appeal court.
“The November 13, 2024, and January 17, 2025, rulings of the Court of Appeal have brought up issues that only the Supreme Court can clarify, and the Caretaker Committee has instructed their lawyer accordingly.
“We, therefore, instruct our supporters across the country to be patient.”
The appellate court’s three-member panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka, had affirmed the October 8 judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
That ruling recognised Abure’s leadership and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accord the LP under his leadership all rights and privileges of a duly registered political party.
Justice Barka stated that there was no justification to overturn Justice Emeka Nwite’s decision, which upheld Abure’s position.
The leadership crisis in the LP began when the party’s National Executive Committee resolved to remove Abure as chairman.
To fill the void, a 29-member caretaker committee, chaired by former minister Nenadi Usman and with Darlington Nwokocha as Secretary, was established.
The decision to form the caretaker committee was made during an expanded stakeholders’ meeting hosted by Governor Otti in Umuahia and chaired by Obi.