LP Not for Sale, Usman Tells Abure

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The interim National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, has advised the former National Chairman of the party, Mr Julius Abure, to seek legitimate means of livelihood rather than attempting to commercialise the Labour Party’s political structures.

Usman, in a statement by the National Secretary, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, told Abure that the Labour Party was not for sale.

She accused Abure of misleading the public and attempting to deliberately pervert the well-intentioned press statement issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, January 7, 2026, regarding his status in the Labour Party.

The interim National Chairman stated that the INEC statement was unequivocal, that the Supreme Court judgement of April 4, 2025, sacked Abure and affirmed Senator Usman and Senator Nwokocha as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Labour Party, respectively.

“For the benefit of well-meaning Nigerians and all lovers of our hard-won democracy, INEC, Nigeria’s critical democratic institution and the sole constitutional regulator of political parties, categorically cautioned Mr Abure and his co-travellers to desist from parading themselves as representatives of the Labour Party.

“INEC further condemned their persistent attempts to destabilise democratic governance, disrupt political party administration, and abuse court processes, noting that Mr Abure’s actions have enmeshed the Labour Party in a needless leadership crisis since 2024,” the statement added.

It noted that the electoral umpire described Abure as “vexatious and abusive litigants,” having instituted over 20 court cases against INEC and the Labour Party leadership, across various courts in the country and Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“This conduct represents a blatant abuse of court processes and a desperate attempt to plunge the Labour Party into deeper crisis and roll back democratic gains,” Senator Usman said.