Labour Party Leadership Crisis Deepens As Lamidi Apapa, Abure, Peter Obi’s Faction Claim Leadership

The leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP) took a dramatic twist on Wednesday, as factional leader Lamidi Apapa resurfaced, declaring that he had assumed control of the party following the release of the Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment.

In a statement signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, Apapa claimed that the judgment, delivered by a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, effectively invalidated the Court of Appeal’s recognition of Julius Abure as the national chairman.

The apex court’s ruling, Apapa asserted, places him in the position to take over as the rightful leader of the party, given his position as the most senior National Deputy Chairman at the time.

Apapa’s dramatic return after a year-long absence has intensified the ongoing power struggle between his faction and the Nenadi Usman-led Caretaker Committee, which is supported by prominent figures such as Governor Alex Otti and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to Apapa, the recent Supreme Court decision paves the way for his leadership of the party. He pointed to the ruling as a clear endorsement of his claim to the national chairmanship position, despite the faction led by Usman and other party leaders supporting Abure.

In his statement, Naija News reports that Apapa also announced that his faction’s National Working Committee (NWC), which was recognized in 2022, would convene next Monday (April 14, 2025) to discuss crucial matters, including the party’s zoning arrangements.

The statement read, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure, also by the Supreme Court on 4th April 2025, what this means is that all actions and decisions taken by Julius Abure since 4th April 2023 are null and void.

“Following the decision of the Supreme Court to set aside all judgments that recognise the leadership of Julius Abure as the National Chairman, I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, the most senior deputy national, and in consonance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, in an acting capacity, and Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary.

“My leadership hereby calls on all members of the Labour Party that the National Working Committee of our party as of 2022 will meet next week, Monday, 14th April 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the position of National Chairman to the North and National Secretary to the South.”

Obi/Otti Faction Reacts To Supreme Court Judgement

Jubilation erupted among Obi and Otti supporters on Wednesday when the Abia State Governor announced they had received the official Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment on the party’s leadership crisis.

While presenting the 48-page CTC before the Labour Party Stakeholders Engagement in Abuja, Otti reiterated that the document had put an end to the debate of misinterpretation of the verdict.

He said, “I want to say that we welcome the Supreme Court judgment of last Friday, which Certified True Copy just arrived a few minutes again. The 48-page document was very clear in saying that it is all of you seated here that constitute the leadership of the party. I also want to make a point that we are law-abiding people.

“We sat on the 4th of September 2024 in Umuahia, where we unanimously elected a 29-man caretaker committee. Shortly after that exercise, our brothers, on the other side, went to court and got a judgment that pronounced them the party’s leaders.

“If we are not law-abiding, we would have started dragging the office. But we all said since there was a court judgment, let us follow the process, which ended last Friday. We expected that everybody who wants the survival of democracy and progress of this country would have accepted that judgment. So you may not like the judgment, but you must obey it.”

In attendance were the LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi; the lawmaker representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Senator Victor Umeh; Nigeria Labour Congress Political Commission, Prof Theophilus Ndubuaku; and the National Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Senator Darlington Nwokocha.

Others include former LP chieftain Kenneth Okonkwo, members of the National Assembly, Abia State Assembly and chieftains of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, among others.

As Otti read out the excerpts of the document, they were jubilation among the supporters.

He further stated, “The same issue submitted for determination is hereby jointly in the favour of the appellants. The appellants are distinguished Senator Esther Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha. In summary, both the trial courts and the one below have no jurisdiction to entertain the first respondent, Julius Abure.

“Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both trial courts and the one below in recognising Julius Abure as the national chairman of the party is hereby set aside and struck out for want of jurisdiction. In the vein, the first respondent cross-appeal being an offshoot of the same judgment of the courts below is hereby dismissed.”

When he finished reading the CTC, the governor recalled how he tried to pacify Abure to step down from his position as national chairman and accept a new role as the chairman of the LP Board of Trustees.

Abure, however, allegedly turned down the prospect, saying he wanted nothing.

“But I gave Abure some piece of advice, saying if I were you, I wouldn’t want to lead people who don’t want me as a leader. So, we are still extending the olive branch to him and his former National Working Committee. The leadership of every party should be humble enough to leave at the expiration of their tenure.

“Before I am done, may I appeal to political parties and their members to endeavour to always allow their constitutions, regulations and rules to guide them in choosing their officers and candidates.

“That way, the incessant internal wrangling that always finds its way to court will be reduced. The leadership of every party should be humble enough to leave at the expiration of their tenure,” he said.

On his part, Obi applauded his supporters and Nigerians for being patient and standing solidly behind them.

The former Anambra governor announced that they would move straight to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission to update them about the presence of the CTC and have them replace Abure’s NWC.

He said, “As leaders and elected members of this great party, we are going to leave from here to INEC to submit this document (CTC) so that we can start the process.

“We will go there now and say here are the documents from the court. This is our resolution. So can we now start the process of rebuilding with your cooperation.”

Shortly after leaving Transcorp Hotel, the venue of the NEC meeting, Otti led a high-level delegation to the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Abuja to discuss recent developments within the party.

The governor also presented the Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment to INEC’s acting Chairman, Sam Olumekun, and other National Commissioners.

Their discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between the LP and INEC, as well as reinforcing democratic principles.

Olumekun emphasised the commission’s commitment to maintaining neutrality, transparency, and the rule of law in fulfilling its constitutional duties.

Abure Reacts To Obi/Otti Faction’s Meeting

The National Publicity Secretary of Labour Party (LP), Obiora Ifoh, on Wednesday dismissed the claim of legitimacy by the Nenadi Usman Caretaker Committee.

Naija News reports that Ifoh took this stand reacting to the jubilation that greeted the presentation of the Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court judgment on the Labour Party’s leadership crisis at the parallel National Executive Committee held by LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Governor Alex Otti in Abuja.

In an interview with Punch, Ifoh, spokesman of Julius Abure-led leadership of LP, mocked the gathering, saying their supporters were jubilating for nothing.

Ifoh said the judgment was clear, and there was nowhere in the CTC that the court mentioned Abure must step aside.

“They are just jubilating for nothing. The Supreme Court judgment is clear about the position of the party leadership,” he said.