Court of Appeal Affirms Usman as Labour Party Chairman

A three-member panel of the Court of Appeal in Abuja dismissed an appeal by Julius Abure on Tuesday, affirming Senator Nenadi Usman as the legitimate national chairman of the Labour Party and imposing a N10 million cost against Abure for abuse of court process. The ruling, delivered in suit number CA/ABJ/CV/255/2026, upholds a January 21, 2026, decision by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognize Usman and her 29-member caretaker committee as the party's leaders, excluding all others.

In the lead judgment read by Justice Oyejoju Oyewumi, with Justices A.B. Mohammed and Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike concurring, the court held that the Supreme Court's April 4, 2025, ruling had conclusively resolved the Labour Party's leadership dispute. That apex court decision nullified a convention that had purportedly reinstated Abure as chairman, determining that his tenure had expired and creating a leadership vacuum. The appellate court endorsed the formation of Usman's caretaker committee as a necessary measure under the doctrine of necessity to ensure continuity in party governance.