The leadership dispute between the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and the Nenadi Usman Caretaker Committee, which has the backing of Governor Alex Otti and Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi, has taken a dramatic turn with the return of factional leader Lamidi Apapa.
Apapa, who had been out of the political spotlight for the past year, announced on Wednesday that he had assumed control of the Labour Party following the release of the Certified True Copy of last Friday’s Supreme Court ruling.
According to PUNCH Online, the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, delivered by a five-member panel, overturned a decision by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which had recognized Julius Abure as the party’s national chairman.
Apapa, in his statement, claimed the court’s verdict positions him as the rightful leader to replace Abure, being the most senior National Deputy Chairman of the party. He made this announcement through a statement signed by the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, Dr. Abayomi Arabambi.
The statement also revealed that Apapa’s National Working Committee, as of 2022, would convene next Monday, April 14, 2025, to discuss zoning arrangements within the party.
The statement reads, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure, by the Supreme Court on April 4, 2025, it means that all actions and decisions taken by Julius Abure since April 4, 2023, are null and void.
“With the Supreme Court’s decision to invalidate all judgments that recognized Julius Abure’s leadership as National Chairman, I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, the most senior deputy national chairman, in accordance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby take over the running of our great party in an acting capacity, with Alh. Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary.
“My leadership now calls on all members of the Labour Party to note that the National Working Committee, as of 2022, will meet next Monday, April 14, 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the National Chairman position to the North and the National Secretary position to the South.”