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The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has once again rejected Julius Abure’s leadership of the Labour Party (LP), maintaining that the Abuja Federal High Court’s ruling in his favor will not alter their stance.
Recall that on October 8, 2024, Justice Emeka Nwite, validated the Labour Party’s national convention held in Nnewi in March 2024.
The court declared the convention lawful and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize the leadership of Abure and the National Working Committee (NWC) elected during the event.
Following the court directive, INEC officially recognized the Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
INEC’s decision to recognise Abure was disclosed in a letter addressed to Abure and the party’s National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim.
INEC’s Secretary, Rose Oriaran-Anthony, invited the Labour Party to participate in its fourth consultative meeting with political parties.
However, in a statement issued on Thursday, Theophilus Ndubuaku, acting chairman of the NLC Political Commission, criticized Abure’s leadership, accusing him of undermining the party’s stability ahead of upcoming elections.
Ndubuaku described the court’s ruling as a “gross miscarriage of justice,” pointing out that the NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) – both constitutionally recognized in the party’s structure – were not part of the legal proceedings.
“The NLC Political Commission sees the judgment as another act of desperation and deceit by Julius Abure and his group, whose only aim is to exploit the Labour Party’s goodwill for personal gain,” Ndubuaku stated.
He further accused Abure of working for external interests aimed at sabotaging the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ndubuaku expressed disappointment over the court’s support for the Nnewi convention, which he claims was conducted in violation of party rules and previous court orders.
He also questioned why the NLC and TUC were excluded from the legal processes.
He noted that Abure failed to honor an agreement made between the National Working Committee (NWC) and the party’s Board of Trustees in April 2022, which was overseen by INEC.
The agreement stipulated that Abure’s term as National Secretary, following the death of the previous chairman, would end in June this year, after which a convention would elect new leadership.
Ndubuaku added that, in line with the agreement, stakeholders had appointed Senator Esther Nenadi Usman to lead an Interim Caretaker Committee.
The NLC Political Commission supports the Labour Party Interim National Caretaker Committee’s plan to appeal the recent court rulings.
He reassured Labour Party members not to lose hope, labeling Abure and his associates as “errand boys” for a political entity opposed to the Labour Party’s interests.
He expressed confidence that the forces undermining democracy would eventually be exposed, and the will of the people would prevail.
“No matter how many court rulings there are, Julius Abure will never be accepted as the leader by Labour Party members. The fight for justice and democracy will continue, and the people’s will shall triumph,” Ndubuaku concluded.
