The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognized the Nenadi Usman-led National Working Committee (NWC) as the legitimate leadership of the Labour Party (LP).
This update, reflected on the commission’s website as of Friday, January 30, 2026, follows a definitive court order.
Usman is now listed as the caretaker committee chairperson, alongside Senator Darlington Nwokocha (National Secretary), Hamisu Santuraki (National Treasurer), Aisha Madije (National Financial Secretary), and Eric Ifere (National Legal Adviser).
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The shift in recognition stems from a January 21 ruling by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which removed Julius Abure from his position.
Justice Lifu maintained that the creation of the Caretaker Committee was “a necessity” rooted in a previous Supreme Court verdict.
He further asserted that evidence showed Abure’s tenure had expired and instructed INEC to treat the Usman-led team as the “legally recognised authority” until a new convention is held.
In response, the Abure-aligned faction has expressed its intent to challenge the ruling. The group’s spokesperson, Obiorah Ifoh, argued that the decision conflicts with legal precedents regarding party autonomy.
“The judgment was a clear contradiction of the Supreme Court judgment, which clearly stated that no court has the power to appoint leadership for any political party and that leadership issues are internal affairs of political parties,” Ifoh claimed.
He added that “the apex court held that all matters relating to the leadership of a political party are internal affairs of the party, and that has been its consistent position.”
The leadership crisis in the Labour Party has intensified since the 2023 elections, where its candidate, Peter Obi, secured over six million votes.
In a major shift ahead of the 2027 polls, Obi recently moved to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), leaving the Labour Party to name Abia State Governor Alex Otti as its national leader.
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