The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declined to recognize Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, despite still listing his name on its website under political party chairpersons.
This was revealed in a counter-affidavit filed by INEC at the Federal High Court in Abuja, responding to a lawsuit by the Labour Party. The party is challenging its exclusion from INEC’s refresher training for uploading party agents ahead of the Edo and Ondo state governorship elections.
INEC maintained that Abure’s term as National Chairman ended in June 2024.
Since June, the Labour Party has faced internal leadership disputes, following a congress in Anambra state that extended the tenure of the Abure-led executive. Various members within the party have contested the congress’s outcome, including former deputy chairman Callistus Okafor, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and the 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, who recently held a national congress to address the leadership crisis.
