By Eteteonline
The Federal High Court in Abuja, which is chaired by Justice Peter Lifu, decided on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, that Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, the former Finance Minister, and the Labour Party Caretaker Committee she chairs should be acknowledged as the legitimate leaders of the Labour Party. In the absence of a national convention, the judge mandated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acknowledge Usman’s leadership as the sole legitimate representative of the party.
The Supreme Court’s earlier ruling from April 4, 2025, which declared that former chairman Julius Abure’s term had ended and he should not continue in office, was a major source of support for the court. According to the Federal High Court, this resulted in a leadership void that the Usman-led caretaker committee had the right to fill.
Since 2023, the Usman-led caretaker committee and Julius Abure’s side have been at odds over leadership of the Labour Party. At a stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia, which was hosted by Governor Alex Otti and presided over by Peter Obi, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had already dismissed Abure as national chairman and established the caretaker committee.
Usman’s claim was strengthened in April 2025 when the Supreme Court declared that Abure’s tenure had expired, invalidating earlier rulings by lower courts and the Court of Appeal that had occasionally sustained Abure’s leadership.
The Abure-led group has rejected the Federal High Court’s verdict and declared its plan to appeal, claiming the court misconstrued the Supreme Court’s rule and that disagreements over political party leadership belong inside the party’s internal affairs.
Abure promised to appeal the decision in the Court of Appeal in a statement released in Abuja by Obiora Ifoh, the party’s National Publicity Secretary.
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