Nenadi Usman c’ttee to appeal ruling recognising Abure as LP chair

The Chairman of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee (CTC), Senator Nenadi Usman, has announced that her committee would appeal the Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that upheld the leadership of Julius Abure. In her statement on Wednesday, Senator Nenadi Usman indicated that she met with the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, Governor […]

The Chairman of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee (CTC), Senator Nenadi Usman, has announced that her committee would appeal the Federal High Court ruling in Abuja that upheld the leadership of Julius Abure.

In her statement on Wednesday, Senator Nenadi Usman indicated that she met with the party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State, and Senator Darlington Nwokocha, the secretary of the CTC, to discuss the judgement.

She stated that while the judgement preceded the committee’s formation, they decided to challenge it.

“This evening, we deliberated on the judgment. After being briefed, the Caretaker Committee resolved to appeal. I urge all party members to remain calm and maintain peace as we continue our reconciliation efforts,” she stated.

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Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday affirmed the Abure-led leadership and recognised the March 2024 Nnewi Convention, which established the party’s national leadership. Nwite also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to acknowledge Abure as the legitimate chairman, overriding INEC’s previous assertion that Abure’s leadership was invalid.

INEC contended that the LP’s national convention, held in Anambra State, breached the Constitution and the Electoral Act, claiming the party did not meet the legal requirements for the convention and that Abure’s tenure would expire in June 2024.

In September, Daily Trust reported that Obi, along with Otti, the sole Labour Party governor, convened a stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, Abia State. During this meeting, they elected Nenadi Usman as the chair of a 29-member caretaker committee to address the party crisis and seek a way forward. But the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) dismissed the meeting as illegal and ineffective.

Meanwhile, Obi has encouraged members of the party to remain patient and united.

Reacting to the latest judgment that reaffirmed Abure’s leadership in a tweet on his official X handle on Wednesday, the former Anambra state governor said, “We must not allow this to divert us from addressing the pressing issues affecting our people today,” he remarked, emphasising the ongoing challenges in building a new Nigeria.