LP factions trade accusations over INEC’s recognition of Abure
The leadership crisis within the Labour Party deepened on Thursday as factions loyal to Senator Nenadi Usman and Julius Abure clashed over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of Abure as the party’s national chairman. In a statement issued by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Senator Nenadi Usman, the faction […]
Julius Abure
The leadership crisis within the Labour Party deepened on Thursday as factions loyal to Senator Nenadi Usman and Julius Abure clashed over the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of Abure as the party’s national chairman.
In a statement issued by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Senator Nenadi Usman, the faction accused the Acting Chairman of INEC, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, of “criminal collusion” with Abure to rely on a “fabricated” court order purportedly recognising him as chairman during the commission’s meeting last week with party chairmen.
The faction claimed that “no such court order exists” and that INEC’s acting leadership “willfully relied on a fabricated and non-existent order to justify an illegal and politically motivated act.”
The faction challenged Agbamuche-Mbu to produce the alleged court order, describing her action as “fraudulent and politically tainted.” It also called for her arrest and prosecution, warning that supporters would embark on a peaceful occupation of INEC headquarters until the commission “fully complies with the binding Supreme Court judgment affirming Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership.”
However, the Abure-led faction condemned the statement as “reckless and defamatory,” warning that it would petition the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) against Asogwa for describing a valid court order as fake.
“The so-called press statement was a clear attempt to blackmail the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its acting chairman, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, for obeying a validly issued court order,” the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party loyal to Abure, Obiora Ifoh, said in a counterstatement.
He added that the faction had instructed its counsel to write to Asogwa, who is also a lawyer, demanding a retraction within 72 hours or face a petition to the NBA.
He accused the Usman faction of “ignorance and political desperation,” insisting that INEC acted appropriately by recognising Abure in line with a subsisting court order.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in leadership tussles since early 2024, with conflicting court judgments fuelling rival claims between the two factions.