- Apapa Stages Comeback, Schedules NWC Meeting For Monday
- Obi, Otti, Storm INEC, Seek Usman’s Recognition As Chairman
- Abure-Faction: Any Meeting Convened Is Illegal, Outcome Null, Void
In a bold development that has further escalated the leadership crisis within the Labour Party and has now metamorphosed into a three-way battle, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa on Wednesday staged a comeback and declared himself the party’s Acting National Chairman.
This follows moves by Alex Otti, Abia State’s governor and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi’s visit to the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to seek recognition for Senator Esther Nenadi Usman as the Caretaker Chairman of the party.
Earlier, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh had reaffirmed that there is no vacuum in the leadership of the party, maintaining that Abure remains the Chairman of the party.
Trouble started when in a unanimous judgment last week, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP, having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
This judgment is being interpreted in various forms by all the parties involved.
Shortly after a NEC meeting yesterday, Otti, Obi and others marched to the headquarters of INEC in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
READ ALSO: INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu Not Removed – Spokesman Debunks Viral Report
The members were received by INEC National Commissioner, Sam Olumekun.
They demanded that the electoral body recognise Nenadi Usman as the LP chairman, days after the Supreme Court set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Abure as the National Chairman of the LP.
Otti read out the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgement as delivered by Justice Inyang Okoro.
Taking to his X platform, the Abia governor said the meeting was aimed at fostering clarity, mutual understanding, and institutional alignment regarding the LP’s current structure.
“Both parties engaged in discussions centered on enhancing collaboration and reinforcing democratic values,” the statement reads.
“Mr. Olumekun reaffirmed the Commission’s unwavering commitment to neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities.”
Meanwhile, Apapa while addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja, Apapa pointed to the court’s ruling in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1217/2024 and Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, asserting that the judgment invalidated all decisions and actions taken by Abure since April 4, 2023. According to Apapa, the Supreme Court not only struck out Abure’s appeal but also criticized lower courts for exceeding their jurisdiction in adjudicating internal party affairs.
READ ALSO: “I Am The Acting Labour Party Chairman” – Lamidi Apapa
“The judgment made it clear that issues concerning the internal leadership of political parties are non-justiciable. The court emphasized that such matters fall outside its jurisdiction,” Apapa said.
Quoting Article 14(2)(a)(b) of the Labour Party Constitution, Apapa stated that as the most senior Deputy National Chairman, he is constitutionally empowered to assume the role of Acting National Chairman. He further named Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim as the Acting National Secretary.
He revealed that the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), as reconstituted in 2022, will meet on Monday, April 14, 2025, to set a new agenda for the party.
Key priorities include the zoning of the National Chairman’s office to the North and assigning the National Secretary position to the South. Apapa also announced plans to revive the dormant Board of Trustees, signaling efforts to restore structure and internal democracy within the party.
“The Labour Party must return to its foundational values of accountability, inclusiveness, and grassroots participation,” Apapa declared.
READ ALSO: Supporters Of Senator Esther Nenadi Usman-led Labour Party Caretaker Committee Celebrate Supreme Court Verdict
He added that fresh congresses will soon be conducted at all levels—ward, local government, state, and national—to give all financial members a voice in the party’s future.
On its part, the Abure-faction insisted that there is nowhere in the apex court judgment that said the leadership of the Abure-led executive has elapsed or that Usman and her National Caretaker Committee have been directed to take over the leadership of the party, maintaining that any meeting convened in disregard to the constitution of the party is illegal and the outcome null and void.
