On a hot Wednesday afternoon on 21st January 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja, led by Justice Lifu, affirmed the removal of Mr Julius Abure from the position of the National Chairman of the Labour Party. His replacement, according to the court, is Senator Nenadi Usman, the current leader of the National Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party.
The court judgment put an end to a long, drawn-out crisis in the Labour Party’s leadership, which had prevented the party from having a clear direction and weakened its appeal in the eyes of the general public.
Justice Lifu, in his judgment, affirmed that the Nenadi Usman–led committee was the only valid and lawful leadership of the party and that Julius Abure’s tenure had already elapsed, in line with an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court.
This means that Julius Abure has no legal claim to the Labour Party’s leadership and immediately lacks the basis to lead a faction of the party. Julius Abure, according to political speculators, has acted like an APC mole, working for the ruling party’s interests and fraternising with powerful figures in the opposition camp.
His anti-party activities were key to the internal crisis that rocked the Labour Party, prompting its last presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to pitch his tent with the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Abure’s removal and the enthronement of Senator Nenadi Usman have practically saved the Labour Party from the same fate that befell the PDP, nailing its internal crisis and positioning the party as a serious opposition party ahead of the general elections in 2027.
Alex Otti Secures a Win as Labour Party Leadership finally Aligns with his Interests
The Federal High Court’s removal of Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) is a major political victory for Abia State Governor Alex Otti.
The primary benefit to Governor Otti is the validation of his leadership within the party. Otti had hosted the critical stakeholders’ meeting in Umuahia that initially called for Abure’s sack, leading to a bitter feud in which Abure “suspended” Otti for anti-party activities.
Today’s ruling effectively nullifies that suspension, securing Otti’s standing as the party’s highest-ranking elected official.
The icing on the cake is the enthronement of the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee, a committee Alex Otti helped form as the recognised leadership of the Labour Party. This indicates that the Labour Party structure is now aligned with the Abia Governor’s interests, eliminating the threat of factions and parallel government as he seeks reelection.
The Ball is now in Alex Otti’s court, following Julius Abure’s removal, to organise the upcoming National Convention and solidify a unified, pro-Otti leadership to oversee his smooth reelection as Governor of Abia State.
Alex Otti is up against the APC structure in his state, powered by an alignment of Abia state ex-governors and the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
Despite his high approval rates and pro-people leadership, the threat of an APC manoeuvre still looms, following the party’s historical antecedents.
