Labour Party Proceeds with National Congresses Amid Legal Challenges and Internal Factional Disputes; Abia State Excluded on Court Orders.
The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the Labour Party pressed forward with scheduled ward congresses across Nigeria on Tuesday, deliberately omitting Abia State in compliance with a subsisting court injunction.
National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, declared the exercises a significant success, with monitoring teams reporting “impressive turnout and smooth conduct” in participating states. He outlined the subsequent phases: “The ward congresses held, Tuesday, December 2. Local government congresses are scheduled for Thursday, December 4, while state congresses will take place on Saturday, December 6 at respective state party secretariats.”
Ifoh explicitly confirmed the exclusion of Abia State, citing an interim order issued on November 26, 2025, by the Abia State High Court (Suit No. HIN/47/2025). The injunction, secured by a faction aligned with Governor Alex Otti, bars the Abure-led NWC from conducting all congresses in the state pending the resolution of a substantive suit. “As soon as our legal department vacates the Abia order, the congresses will hold there too,” Ifoh asserted, maintaining the order’s limitation to Abia alone.
The congresses followed a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on November 28—monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)—which aimed to democratize the party’s structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a sharply worded rebuke, Ifoh accused internal “fifth columnists” of actively working to destabilize the party for external interests. He issued a stern warning against disseminating claims of a nonexistent nationwide injunction, stating such actions constitute publishing false information punishable under Section 59 of the Criminal Code Act.
This development intensifies the protracted leadership crisis plaguing the Labour Party. The faction led by former Senator Nenadi Usman recently submitted a fresh 34-member caretaker committee list to INEC, claiming it supersedes all previous submissions from both the Abure and Otti-aligned camps.
As of Tuesday evening, neither Governor Alex Otti’s camp nor the Nenadi Usman faction had issued an official statement regarding the concluded ward congresses, underscoring the unresolved tensions and strategic silences within the party’s opposing blocs.
Stay Updated with the Latest News – Follow Daily Observer on X (formerly Twitter) @DailyObserverNG
