The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party (LP) led by Nenadi Usman, in compliance with an order of the Federal High Court.
A review of INEC’s website on Friday showed that Usman is now listed as the Chairperson of the party’s Caretaker Committee.
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 decision follows a judgment delivered on January 21 by the Federal High Court in Abuja, where Justice Peter Lifu affirmed Usman’s leadership and directed the electoral body to recognise the Usman-led NWC.
The court ruling was anchored on an earlier Supreme Court judgment which declared Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party.
Justice Lifu noted that evidence before the court showed that the tenure of Julius Abure as national chairman had expired, describing the formation of the Caretaker Committee as a “necessary step” arising from the Supreme Court’s decision.
He consequently ordered INEC to recognise the Usman-led committee as the party’s lawful leadership pending the conduct of a valid national convention.
The recognition of the Usman faction has further intensified 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 announced plans to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal. Its spokesperson, Obiorah Ifoh, argued that the Federal High Court’s decision conflicted with the Supreme Court’s stance on internal party leadership matters.
According to Ifoh, the Supreme Court had clearly stated that courts lack the authority to impose leadership on political parties, as such issues fall strictly within internal party affairs. He also recalled that the Court of Appeal had previously affirmed Abure’s NWC as the party’s authentic leadership.
The leadership dispute within the Labour Party dates back to the period following the 2023 general elections, in which the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, secured over six million votes.
Ahead of the 2027 elections, Obi has since defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while the Labour Party has appointed Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, as its national leader.