On January 21, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja resolved the protracted leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP) by ordering the removal of Julius Abure as National Chairman. Justice Peter Lifu delivered the judgment, which mandates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate leadership of the party.
The court found that Abure’s tenure had legally expired and that his continued occupation of the office violated both the party's constitution and the Electoral Act. Central to the judgment was a reliance on a Supreme Court verdict from April 2025, which the High Court held had implicitly invalidated Abure’s claim to leadership. Justice Lifu emphasized that the judiciary could not allow a leadership vacuum or the violation of an apex court ruling under the guise of "internal party affairs."
The judge described any contrary action as "judicial rascality," asserting the court's duty to enforce democratic norms within political parties. The ruling confers legal authority on the Usman-led committee to organize the party's next national convention. The Abure faction has immediately filed an appeal, arguing that the court overreached its jurisdiction, but for now, the legal control of Nigeria’s third-largest party has shifted by judicial fiat.
Source: NAN news