The Labour Party (LP) has issued a stern warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing it of deliberate contempt of court for allegedly permitting its former National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, to attend Tuesday’s quarterly consultative meeting of political party leaders in Abuja.
- LP Demands Respect for Supreme Court and Federal High Court Judgements, Accuses INEC of Aiding Impersonation and Undermining the Rule of Law
By Time Nigeria Political Desk
Abuja | October 14, 2025
The Labour Party (LP) has issued a stern warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing it of deliberate contempt of court for allegedly permitting its former National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure, to attend Tuesday’s quarterly consultative meeting of political party leaders in Abuja.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Esther Usman, the party condemned the “reckless display of impunity” by certain INEC officials who allegedly facilitated Abure’s participation despite multiple subsisting court rulings declaring that he is no longer the party’s national chairman.
“This brazen act of impersonation is a tragic reflection of the extent to which certain elements within INEC are willing to compromise the integrity of the Commission by lending themselves to such ignoble conduct,” the statement read.
According to the party, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, on April 4, 2025, in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025, delivered a landmark judgment unequivocally declaring that Julius Abure was no longer the National Chairman of the Labour Party. That decision, the statement continued, was reaffirmed by the Federal High Court, Abuja, on August 15, 2025, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1523/2025, which dismissed Abure’s claims and upheld the apex court’s verdict.
The party also noted that INEC itself had, in a counter-affidavit dated August 13, 2025, deposed under oath that Abure was no longer recognized as Labour Party Chairman — a position that makes his recognition at Tuesday’s meeting both contradictory and contemptuous.
“INEC cannot, in one breath, depose under oath that Abure is no longer chairman, and in another, accord him recognition,” the Labour Party said, describing the Commission’s conduct as “a grave desecration of the sanctity of our judicial system.”
The statement reminded Nigerians that even the former INEC leadership under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu demonstrated greater respect for judicial authority. On July 29, 2024, Yakubu’s INEC reportedly ordered Abure out of a similar consultative meeting, citing clear evidence that he was no longer the national chairman of the party — a decision that predated both the Supreme Court and Federal High Court judgments.
The party questioned the motive behind what it termed “rogue actions” by certain officials within the Commission:
“From where did the present actors within INEC derive the authority to override and overrule these court pronouncements and enable Abure’s participation in today’s meeting?”
While acknowledging that the current INEC leadership headed by Mrs. Agbamuche Mbu is transitional, the Labour Party warned that “even a brief tenure can leave a lasting stain on history,” urging her to resist actions that could further damage the Commission’s credibility.
“If the current leadership lacks the courage to uphold the rule of law, it should at least refrain from further tarnishing what remains of the Commission’s integrity,” the party said.
Copies of the statement were forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The Labour Party concluded by demanding that INEC immediately enforce all valid court judgments on its leadership and cease every form of engagement that recognizes Julius Abure in any official capacity.
“Posterity records everything,” the statement warned. “Every action taken today will be judged tomorrow.”
