As plots by some interests to create an unending crisis in the Labour Party, Alhaji Bashiru Lamidi Apapa, a known anti Abure leadership, has declared himself the Acting National Chairman of the Labour Party, citing a recent Supreme Court ruling as justification for his takeover.
This development came on the heels of a separate meeting by a faction loyal to 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti that convened a National Executive Meeting earlier this Wednesday before moving to INEC Headquarters to demand the recognition of Nenadi Usman as the National Chairman , Caretaker committee of the Party.
Apapa while addressing Journalists at a press conference in Abuja this Wednesday, Apapa claimed that the Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, in Appeal No: CA/ABJ/CV/1217/2024 and Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/1271/2024, validates his position.
The controversial leader named Alhaji Farouk Umar Ibrahim as the Acting National Secretary of the party.
He further made it clear that the apex court ruling invalidates all decisions and actions taken by Barrister Julius Abure since April 4, 2023.
“The Supreme Court lambasted the two lower courts for exceeding their jurisdiction,” Apapa said during the briefing. “They rightly noted that issues regarding the internal leadership of a political party are non-justiciable and outside the jurisdiction of the courts.”
Apapa argued that, as the most senior Deputy National Chairman, he is constitutionally empowered to assume leadership in an acting capacity, referencing Article 14(2)(a)(b) of the Labour Party Constitution.
Apapa also revealed that the National Working Committee (NWC), as constituted in 2022, will convene on Monday, April 14, 2025 to discuss a new strategic roadmap for the party, including plans to zone the National Chairmanship to the North and the Secretary position to the South.
“We are also taking proactive steps to resuscitate the moribund Board of Trustees and make it functional again. The time has come for real internal democracy and inclusion in our great party,” Apapa declared.
According to him, preparations are underway for fresh congresses at all levels to promote grassroots participation and internal legitimacy, adding that only financial members will be eligible to vote or contest.
