Legal Fireworks Loom as Labour Party Elects Nenadi Usman as National Chairman
- Senator Nenadi Usman was elected Labour Party national chairman amidst ongoing legal challenges and internal crises
- Court declined an injunction to halt the convention, paving the way for new leadership despite pending litigation
- Governor Otti praised the factional convention's credibility while urging reconciliation amid the Labour Party's divisions and conflicts
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering politics, elections, public affairs and governance in Nigeria and Africa.
Umuahia, Abia State - Former Labour Party (LP) Caretaker Committee Chairperson, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman, on Tuesday, April 28, went ahead with the party’s elective national convention in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, despite a pending court suit seeking to halt the exercise.
Usman was subsequently elected as the party’s substantive national chairman through a consensus arrangement.
Source: Twitter
Legit.ng gathered that just 24 hours before the convention, a Federal High Court sitting in Kano was approached by two senior Labour Party members, Mohammed Abdullahi Raji, Chairman of the Labour Party in Kano State, and Abdulrahim Imam Chindo, Chairman of the party in Sokoto State, who filed an urgent ex parte motion seeking to stop the exercise.
The case, filed at the Kano Judicial Division of the Federal High Court as Suit No. FHC/KN/CS/211/2026, was heard on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, the same day the convention was scheduled, before Justice S. M. Shuaibu. The applicants, who sued on behalf of themselves and all chairmen and secretaries of the party’s executive councils nationwide, sought an interim injunction restraining Senator Nenadi Esther Usman, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, the Labour Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from “convening, organising and/or holding” the proposed national convention scheduled for April 28, 2026.
Counsel to the applicants, Mustapha Saleh Esq., alongside Faisal Musa Baba, moved the motion and urged the court to maintain the status quo pending the hearing of the substantive application. However, Justice Shuaibu declined to grant the injunction immediately, instead ordering that the motion be served on the respondents and adjourning the matter to May 4, 2026, for hearing of the motion on notice.
Despite the pending suit and adjournment, the convention proceeded in Umuahia under the theme “Labour Party Rising: United for Victory,” where Senator Nenadi Usman emerged as the party’s substantive national chairman through a consensus arrangement alongside a new National Working Committee.
The move is expected to deepen existing divisions within the Labour Party, which has faced ongoing leadership crises and internal disputes since the 2023 general elections. The Kano suit, which names Usman, Nwokocha, the Labour Party, and INEC as respondents, could trigger further legal challenges aimed at questioning the legitimacy of the convention’s outcome.
Governor Alex Otti commends credible convention
At the convention, Governor Alex Otti commended the Chairman of the National Congress and Convention Committee, Ginger Onwusibe, and the Secretary, Salisu Muhammad, for conducting a credible national convention. He also described Senator Nenadi Usman as a woman of integrity, while congratulating her and other newly elected members of the National Working Committee.
Otti urged them to prepare for the tasks ahead, saying:
“I’m happy that we elected people who understand what is expected of them and parts of Nigeria were represented. Reconciliation and integration of all members of the party is another task before you; ensure that nobody is left behind. Go on a reconciliation drive, sit down and make our people know that they are recognised. This is a game of numbers; we need as many people as possible.
"Very soon, the primary election will be conducted. It’s also part of your job to ensure that we have a rancour-free primary before the campaign and election, but I know you are capable of delivering.”
Lingering Labour Party crisis
The LP has been embroiled in internal conflicts since its rise to national prominence in 2023, when its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, secured millions of votes in a closely contested election. The aftermath triggered a power struggle between Obi’s loyalists, the party’s old guard, and various regional blocs, a rift that has remained unresolved.
The emergence of a caretaker committee and the recent elective convention held under legal challenge mark the latest phase in the ongoing crisis. The party’s leadership disputes have already produced multiple court injunctions, conflicting directives, and public disagreements that have dented its image among supporters who once viewed it as a strong alternative to the two dominant political parties.
With the Kano Federal High Court set to hear the substantive motion on May 4 and a new National Working Committee already inaugurated, the battle for the control and direction of the Labour Party remains far from settled.
Source: Legit.ng
