Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, the interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, has issued a stern warning to the party’s former chairman, Julius Abure, telling him that the political organization is not a commercial commodity. In a statement released through the National Secretary, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, Usman advised Abure to seek a legitimate means of livelihood instead of attempting to “sell” or commercialize the party’s structures.
The leadership crisis within the party reached a new height as Senator Usman accused Abure of deliberately twisting a recent press release from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The interim chairman clarified that the Supreme Court had already removed Abure from office on April 4, 2025. She insisted that the electoral umpire’s stance is clear: Usman and Nwokocha are the legally recognized leaders of the Labour Party.
The statement further revealed that INEC has officially cautioned Abure and his associates to stop parading themselves as representatives of the party. The commission reportedly described his persistent legal challenges as “vexatious,” noting that he has initiated over 20 different court cases against the leadership and the commission itself. This conduct was labeled as a desperate attempt to stall the party’s progress and roll back democratic gains.
In a more serious allegation, Senator Usman claimed that Abure is currently impersonating the office of the National Chairman to defraud unsuspecting individuals. She alleged that he has been collecting money from people under the false promise of making them candidates for the FCT elections, even though he no longer has access to the official INEC portals required to upload candidate names.
Addressing claims that the new INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had invited Abure to a consultative meeting, the Labour Party leadership described such reports as entirely false. They explained that Abure was only able to enter the INEC premises previously by being “smuggled in” by associates to take photos during a transition period, days before the current Chairman was even sworn in.
The party has now called on the Prosecutor-General of the Federation to move forward with recommendations to prosecute Abure for his alleged actions. Senator Usman reassured members that the Labour Party remains united under the leadership of Dr. Alex Otti as the National Leader. She encouraged youths, women, and aspirants preparing for the 2027 elections to stay focused on the ongoing registration and congresses, asserting that the party’s resolve for a new Nigeria remains unshaken.
