Labour Party’s Candidates Forum Commends Court, INEC On Abure’s Exit

The Labour Party Candidates Forum (LPCF) has commended the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their roles in upholding justice and internal democracy within the Labour Party, following the removal of Julius Abure as National Chairman.

Addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, the Forum’s Chairman and Labour Party’s 2023 Kogi State governorship candidate, Barr. Okeme Adejoh, described the judgments of the Supreme Court (April 4, 2025) and the Federal High Court (August 15, 2025) as “clear, unambiguous, and decisive” in resolving the long-standing leadership crisis in the party.

Adejoh hailed INEC for respecting the rule of law by ceasing to recognize Abure as chairman after the expiration of his tenure.

“We commend INEC for upholding the integrity of internal party democracy. We call on the Commission to upload the name of Dist. Sen. Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairman and Dist. Sen. Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary, as duly appointed by the NEC,” he said.

According to him, the new leadership has been mandated to steer the party through upcoming ward, local government, and state congresses, leading to the national convention.

Adejoh congratulated Usman and Nwokocha on their Supreme Court victory and praised their commitment to repositioning the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He also cautioned Julius Abure against defying court rulings, stating, “We hereby warn Julius Abure to stop distracting the party and to obey both the Supreme Court and Federal High Court judgments that removed him. One man cannot be above the Labour Party.”

The LPCF chairman urged aggrieved members to return to the party fold and support efforts to rebuild and strengthen its structures.

He emphasized the need for political leadership to evolve in line with constitutional provisions and judicial pronouncements, adding, “The tenure of the former chairman and his team has expired. INEC, as a regulatory umpire, is meant to guide political parties, not be dictated to by them.”

In his remarks, the Secretary of the Forum and Labour Party’s 2023 Ebonyi State governorship candidate, Comr. Splendour Oko Eze, reiterated the importance of obeying court orders, accusing Abure of persistently disobeying judicial decisions.

“Court judgments in Nigeria are meant to be obeyed. I’m not surprised Abure has ignored the Supreme Court ruling. In my own case, I won judgments against him at the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal in Enugu, and finally at the Supreme Court, yet he still refused to comply,” Eze said.

He called on relevant authorities to investigate Abure’s defiance, warning that continuous disregard for court orders poses a grave danger to democracy.

“When court judgments are ignored, what follows is autocracy and tyranny, and Nigeria cannot afford that,” he warned.

Eze maintained that Abure’s tenure had long expired, noting that he only assumed the chairmanship in 2019 “through the magnanimity” of a former leader.

“From 2019 to 2025, his tenure has long expired. Both the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court have affirmed this. We wish him well in his future endeavours, but as far as the Labour Party is concerned, his time is over,” he concluded.