LP Crisis: Abure Warns Nenadi Usman Over Plan to Dissolve Executives

The leadership of the Labour Party under Julius Abure on Saturday warned the caretaker committee headed by former minister Nenadi Usman not to dissolve the party’s elected executives at the ward, local government and state levels across Nigeria.

The warning came through a statement released by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, as the leadership dispute within the party continues.

The statement said the party leadership reacted to reports that a rival group within the party planned to remove the existing executives and replace them with interim officials.

According to the Abure-led leadership, such action would go against the party’s constitution and the electoral law guiding political parties in the country.

The party said the Independent National Electoral Commission had already communicated its position on the issue.

According to the leadership, the electoral body informed the group seeking the dissolution that it could not approve the move because proper notice of the meeting was not given to the commission and the party’s constitution did not grant such authority.

The Abure leadership also stated that the leadership dispute within the party is already before the Court of Appeal. However, it explained that it decided to address the matter publicly because of claims circulating about the planned restructuring of the party’s leadership at different levels.

The statement further questioned the formation of the caretaker committee headed by Usman. It said the committee did not follow the procedures outlined in the party’s constitution.

According to the leadership, the interim arrangement was put together by some party stakeholders outside the party’s constitutional process.

The party also referred to the involvement of Abia State Governor Alex Otti and former presidential candidate Peter Obi in the creation of the caretaker committee, claiming that the move did not follow the party’s established rules.

The leadership insisted that any decision that contradicts the party’s constitution cannot become valid through a court ruling obtained at the lower court. It maintained that the existing party structures at the ward, local government and state levels remain in place.

Members of the party were therefore advised to ignore attempts to remove the current executives or introduce interim officials. The leadership expressed confidence that the Court of Appeal would eventually resolve the leadership dispute within the party.

The statement added that the party expects the court process to settle the matter and restore stability within the organisation as preparations for the 2027 general elections gradually begin across the country.