Labour Party factions clash over Nasarawa court order

A fresh round of tensions has erupted in the Labour Party (LP) as the faction led by Senator Nenadi Usman accused the Julius Abure-led group of engaging in “forum shopping” by allegedly obtaining a questionable court order from a Nasarawa State High Court on a matter involving the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a statement released on Friday in Abuja by her Senior Special Adviser on Media, Ken Asogwa, Usman alleged that Abure’s team secured an interlocutory order directing INEC to upload their candidates’ names for the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Council elections. She described the development as “an act of desperation” and questioned both its timing and legality.

According to the statement, “The leadership of the Labour Party is appalled by reports circulating in certain sections of the media, alleging that a Nasarawa State High Court granted an interlocutory order purportedly at the instance of Barrister Julius Abure and his faction directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload their candidates’ names for the forthcoming FCT Council elections.”

Usman said the timing of the release of the alleged order was “as suspicious as it is mischievous,” noting that it came on the eve of nationwide bye-elections and specifically referred to elections slated for February next year.

She linked the development to what she called Abure’s “notorious record in matters of forgery,” recalling his alleged role in the 2023 Ebonyi State governorship election, for which she claimed the Attorney-General of the Federation had implicitly directed his prosecution by the police a charge she said still hangs over him.

Usman maintained that even if the order was valid, the move amounted to “blatant forum shopping” since INEC is a federal institution established by the Constitution and disputes involving it fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal High Court. She argued that the Nasarawa State High Court “has no lawful standing” in the matter and described the action as “an abuse of judicial process” that should attract sanctions.

The statement also referenced the Supreme Court’s April 4, 2025, judgment, which, according to Usman’s camp, unequivocally removed Abure from office. She accused the APC-led Federal Government of “sustaining and emboldening” him in defiance of the ruling, enabling him to continue what she called “reckless abuse of judicial processes.”

Usman alleged that the alliance between Abure and the ruling party served only to undermine the Labour Party and erode democratic institutions, adding that “in their desperation for transient political advantage, they are even willing to diminish the authority of the Supreme Court itself.”