The Labour Party faction loyal to Abia State Governor Alex Otti, has called for reconciliation and unity in the party following Wednesday’s judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja, which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Senator Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee and effectively sacked Julius Abure as national chairman.
The Interim National Chairman of the faction, Senator Nenadi Usman, made the appeal in a statement issued by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, describing the ruling as a critical opportunity to heal deep-seated divisions within the party rather than worsen the leadership crisis.
“We received with profound joy and relief the judgment of the Federal High Court, which ordered INEC to immediately recognise Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership as the only valid, authentic and legitimate leadership of the Labour Party,” the statement said.
“Although the journey to this point was protracted, difficult and at times turbulent, the Labour Party urges its members and supporters not to celebrate with triumphalism. Rather, this moment should be embraced as a solemn opportunity for genuine reconciliation.”
According to Usman, the judgment should mark a turning point for the party.
“For us, it is a no victor, no vanquished moment. Let it be clearly stated that there is only one united and indivisible Labour Party in Nigeria. This judgment must mark a new beginning anchored on unity, healing and collective progress,” she said.
However, in a swift statement on Wednesday, Abure rejected the judgment, vowing to challenge it on appeal.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, Abure insisted that the judgment contradicted the April 2025 verdict of the Supreme Court on the party’s leadership dispute.
He described Justice Lifu’s verdict as a misinterpretation of the apex court’s decision and an unwarranted intrusion into the internal affairs of the party.
“Although we are yet to see the Certified True Copy of the judgment to fully make detailed comments, it is clear from the brief available to us that the party will appeal,” Ifoh said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court held that Abure’s tenure as national chairman had elapsed and consequently ordered INEC to recognise the caretaker committee headed by Usman pending the conduct of the party’s national convention.
Reacting to the judgment, the Otti-backed faction urged all tendencies within the party, including those dissatisfied with the ruling, to embrace dialogue in the interest of rebuilding the party.
“Accordingly, the Labour Party calls on all members who may feel aggrieved by the current state of affairs – including those against whom today’s judgment was delivered – to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue in the supreme interest of the party,” Usman said.
“We sue for peace, plead for dialogue, and seek sincere reconciliation. There is enormous work ahead in rebuilding the Labour Party into a strong, credible and virile opposition platform in Nigeria, a task that can only be accomplished in an atmosphere of unity, cohesion and mutual respect.”
As part of efforts to restore internal harmony, Usman announced plans to constitute a reconciliation mechanism.
“In furtherance of this commitment to peace and reconciliation, the party shall immediately constitute a Truce and Reconciliation Committee mandated to engage all aggrieved members and restore lasting harmony within the party,” she said.
The faction also called on INEC to fully comply with the judgment.
“As a law-abiding institution and a major stakeholder in Nigeria’s democratic process, the Labour Party calls on INEC to end all unnecessary distractions by fully complying with today’s judgment and according Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership the formal recognition clearly and unambiguously directed by the court,” the statement added.
