The Labour Party on Sunday warned its members, supporters and political aspirants against obtaining nomination forms from the faction led by former National Chairman Julius Abure ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party described forms allegedly issued by Abure as invalid and accused him of misleading unsuspecting aspirants despite the ongoing leadership crisis within the party.
The warning was contained in a statement released by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, following reports and pictures circulating online showing Abure presenting nomination forms to some individuals in Abia State. According to the party leadership, only the National Secretariat in Utako, Abuja, under the leadership of Nenadi Usman, has the authority to issue genuine nomination forms for elective positions.
The party stated that any form obtained outside the recognised national secretariat should not be trusted, adding that those buying such forms from unauthorised persons were taking a risk. It also accused Abure of continuing to parade himself as national chairman despite court decisions and INEC recognition favouring the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee.
Labour Party leaders questioned why the alleged sale of forms was mostly taking place in Abia State. The party also stated that Governor Alex Otti would not be pressured or intimidated by political activities linked to the crisis.
The statement further described Abure’s continued claim to the office of national chairman as impersonation with possible legal consequences. Party officials maintained that the leadership tussle had already been settled through court judgments and the recognition given by the Independent National Electoral Commission to the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee.
Attempts to get a response from Abure were unsuccessful as his telephone line could not be reached at the time the report was filed.
The crisis within the Labour Party has continued for months following disagreements over the party’s leadership structure. The situation became more tense after the Court of Appeal reportedly upheld the leadership of the caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman.
Abure, however, rejected the court ruling and insisted that leadership matters within political parties should not be decided by the judiciary. He also vowed to challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal decision reportedly supported an earlier judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, which recognised the Usman-led committee as the lawful leadership of the party.
Following the ruling, INEC formally acknowledged the caretaker committee as the recognised leadership structure of the Labour Party ahead of preparations for the 2027 elections.