Labour Party Leadership Tussle Deepens As Abure Faction ‘Reclaims’ National Secretariat

Fresh tensions erupted within the Labour Party on Tuesday night after the Julius Abure-led faction announced it had reclaimed the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, barely 24 hours after the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee took over the facility.

The Abure faction made the announcement through its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement issued late Tuesday, confirming that the party headquarters, which had been allegedly “forcefully” invaded earlier in the day, had been recovered.

Photographs shared alongside the statement on the official 𝕏 handle of the party showed banners and billboards bearing the image of the National Caretaker Committee Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, being taken down from the premises.

According to Ifoh, the Abure-led leadership had regained control of the secretariat after determining that the earlier takeover was illegal.

“The Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party has recovered the party’s national secretariat illegally occupied by the Abia State Government and Nenadi Usman’s group earlier today,” the statement read.

“However, the leadership of the party has since recovered its secretariat after it was discovered that the operation by Nenadi and the deputy governor of Abia State was illegal and unauthorised,” it added.

Ifoh disclosed that the faction would conduct an inventory of losses allegedly incurred during the incident and pursue legal action.

“The party will take inventory of the losses and outright theft that are observed resulting from the illegal invasion, after which a formal charge will be pressed.

“We also warn that the party will no longer tolerate further attempts by some desperate politicians to impugn the lawful activities of the party. We also advise any group claiming leadership to exercise patience until the final determination of the matters at the appellate courts in the land,” the statement concluded.

The faction assured members that activities would resume at the headquarters from Wednesday and apologised for any inconvenience caused.

Reacting, the acting National Chairman of the party, Senator Nenadi Usman, expressed shock and dismay, insisting the Abure faction acted in defiance of a subsisting court ruling.

Speaking through her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, in a phone interview with The PUNCG, she said, “There is a court judgment in place that says Abure has ceased to be the national chairman of the party, and the secretariat is where their lawful duty should be performed.

“Now, someone has just gone there to take the law into his hands by saying the judgment should not be implemented. Have we gone bananas in this country?”

Usman maintained that her group’s earlier takeover of the secretariat was lawful and conducted openly.

“When we took over the secretariat, it was in broad daylight. Someone has gone there in the middle of the night to announce that he has recce, aim the secretariat,” she told The PUNCH.

She added, “I am disappointed because I thought some policemen would have been directed to stay behind to ward off this illegal action.”

Naija News reports that the latest development comes barely 24 hours after Usman, alongside Abia State Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, assumed control of the Labour Party national secretariat amid heavy security presence.

Armed policemen had been deployed within and around the party’s Utako headquarters as the caretaker committee moved in earlier on Tuesday.

When journalists visited the secretariat, banners and billboards bearing the images of Abure and his executives had been removed and replaced with those of Usman. Party members, supporters and reporters were also subjected to strict security checks before gaining access to the premises.

Sources indicated that the caretaker committee had begun preparations to take over other Labour Party state secretariats across the country.

Confirming the earlier takeover, Usman described the move as long overdue and dismissed fears of resistance from the Abure faction.

The leadership crisis followed a Federal High Court ruling in Abuja last month, which held that Abure’s tenure as National Chairman had elapsed and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise a caretaker committee led by Usman pending a national convention.

INEC subsequently listed Usman as acting National Chairman on its website alongside other caretaker committee members, replacing Abure’s name.

The decision came after months of internal disputes, parallel leadership claims and protracted court battles that intensified after the 2023 general elections.

Despite rejecting the judgment and filing an appeal, Abure has maintained that he remains the lawful leader of the party and has vowed to resist what he described as an unlawful takeover.