The Nigerian Labour Party (LP) finds itself at the centre of a seismic internal crisis after Vice‑Presidential candidate Dr Yusuf Datti Baba‑Ahmed publicly sided with suspended chairman Barrister Julius Abure.
Yet, on 4 April 2025, the Supreme Court delivered a devastating rebuke: any claim by Abure to the party’s helm is null and void, and Senator Nenadi Usman remains the undisputed Interim National Chairman.
A Defiant Gathering Meets Judicial Finality
On 22 July 2025, Dr Yusuf Datti Baba‑Ahmed attended a meeting convened by Barrister Julius Abure, referring to him as the “substantive National Chairman” of the LP.
This was swiftly followed by an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on 23 July, where Baba‑Ahmed again addressed Abure as party leader.
The LP’s official rejoinder, issued the same day, reminded members that the Supreme Court’s unanimous judgement—handed down on 4 April 2025—had struck out suit FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024 for lack of jurisdiction and quashed every lower‑court ruling in Abure’s favour.
“Consequent upon the foregoing, the decisions of both trial court and the court below recognising Barrister Julius Abure as the National Chairman … are hereby set aside.”
“In the final analysis, I find this appeal to be meritorious and is hereby allowed. Parties shall bear their respective costs.”
—Supreme Court of Nigeria, 4 April 2025
By invoking personal preference over a binding apex court ruling, Baba‑Ahmed’s actions threatened the very fabric of LP’s unity.
Yet the party’s media office, under Ken Eluma Asogwa, emphasised that adherence to the Supreme Court’s finality is compulsory, not optional.
From Third‑Party Surge to Internal Quagmire
Just two years ago, the LP rode a historic wave. In the 2023 presidential election, Peter Obi captured 6,101,533 votes (25.40%), carrying 11 states plus the Federal Capital Territory—an unprecedented feat for a third party in Nigeria.
Legislatively, LP broke new ground:
Senate: Jumped from a solitary seat to 7 mandates in the 10th National Assembly.
House of Representatives: Commanded 34 seats, making LP the third‑largest grouping.
Governorship: Won the Abia State governorship with Alex Otti.
These gains positioned LP as the chief opposition to the APC’s federal dominance. But today, internal fissures threaten to erode that momentum.
Judicial Intervention: Precedent and Contrast
Nigeria’s apex court has, on occasion, declined to meddle in party affairs. In March 2025, it overturned lower‑court decisions against Samuel Anyanwu in the PDP’s national secretary dispute, ruling such internal wrangles “not the business of any court” absent exceptional circumstances.
By contrast, the LP leadership case proceeded to finality—perhaps reflecting clear constitutional breaches and contested jurisdiction.
The message is stark: parties may debate policy, but not defy the highest court.
The Peril of Personalisation
Dr Baba‑Ahmed’s stated aim of “reconciliation” within LP is laudable—yet must be “rooted in truth” and “guided by respect for the rule of law,” as the official LP statement admonishes.
Elevating Abure in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling risks:
Legal Chaos: Encouraging factionalism that invites further litigation and expense.
Public Perception: Undermining LP’s hard‑won image as the principled alternative to the APC’s “failed governance trajectory.”
Electoral Vulnerability: Dividing its base ahead of ward, local government and state congresses, culminating in the national convention.
As Senator Usman tours aggrieved branches to “call for peace, unity and internal cohesion,” the onus lies on LP loyalists to rally behind a legally sound leadership if they hope to capitalise on the 2023 breakthrough.
A Call to Arms Against the APC
For a global audience accustomed to US‑style power tussles, LP’s struggle echoes factional civil wars in other democracies—yet with a unique Nigerian twist.
The APC’s grip on federal power remains firm, but its governance record is contested: inflation at a five‑year high, security challenges across the North, and an embattled currency.
LP must present itself as the credible, united alternative.
War‑room strategist and commentator Chido Onumah warns, “An opposition that bleeds itself dry cannot hope to defeat an incumbent viewed as incompetent but cohesive.”
If LP emerges from this crisis with Usman’s leadership affirmed and party ranks united, it may yet fulfil its promise.
Conclusion: Law, Loyalty and the Road Ahead
Dr Baba‑Ahmed’s personal choices may spark headlines, but they cannot rewrite the Supreme Court’s verdict.
In Nigeria’s fraught political landscape, the rule of law remains the ultimate arbiter.
Labour Party members, conscious of their historic gains, must heed the apex court’s ruling or risk self‑inflicted annihilation.
Only a disciplined, law‑abiding LP can stand toe‑to‑toe with the APC at the ballot box—and offer Nigerians the genuine change so passionately demanded in 2023.
