The crisis rocking the
leadership of the Labour Party has taken a new twist, as ex-factional Chairman, Lamidi Apapa, has announced self as the party’s chair.
For context, the party’s leadership has remained a bone of contention between the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee and the Nenadi Usman Caretaker Committee, backed by Governor Alex Otti and LP presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi.
The recent Supreme Court judgment which set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja that recognised Abure as the party’s national chairman has achieved nothing to end the crisis.
Rightly or wrongly, both factions considered the ruling to favour them
Apapa, who had been under the radar joined the battle on Wednesday as he pronounced himself the new leader via a statement the party’s factional National Publicity Secretary, Dr Abayomi Arabambi released.
The statement read, “Following the dismissal of the cross-appeal filed by the ousted former National Chairman, Bar Julius Abure, also by the Supreme Court on 4th April 2025, what this means is that all actions and decisions taken by Julius Abure since 4th April 2023 are null and void.
“Following the decision of the Supreme Court to set aside all judgments that recognise the leadership of Julius Abure as National Chairman, I, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, the most senior deputy national, and in consonance with our party constitution, Article 14 2(a)(b), hereby take over the running of the affairs of our great party with effect from today, in an acting capacity, and Alh Farouk Umar Ibrahim as National Secretary.
“My leadership hereby calls on all members of the Labour Party that the National Working Committee of our party as of 2022 will meet next week, Monday, 14th April 2025, to announce our plans, which will include zoning the position of National Chairman to the North and National Secretary to the South.”
