The Labour Party faction led by Senator Nenadi Usman has formally submitted a 34-member Interim National Working Committee list to the Independent National Electoral Commission, further escalating the party’s ongoing leadership crisis.
This development follows a Supreme Court ruling that deepened divisions by declaring party internal matters non-justiciable, allowing both factions to claim legitimacy based on prior National Executive Council resolutions.
The list, signed by Usman as Interim National Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary, was stamped received by INEC on November 28, 2025, addressed to Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan.
In the cover letter, the faction cited the Labour Party constitution and a July 18, 2025 NEC resolution empowering them to constitute the interim leadership, urging INEC to recognize it over previous submissions.
They positioned this full list as superseding an August abridged version and a recent one from Julius Abure’s rival group, which held its own NEC meeting the day before with INEC observers and Datti Baba-Ahmed in attendance.
Usman’s camp enjoys support from key figures including Peter Obi, Abia Governor Alex Otti, and others rejecting Abure’s 2024 Nnewi convention, while Abure insists courts have no jurisdiction over such disputes.
Prominent appointees include Deputy National Chairman (TUC) Mohammed Misau, Deputy National Chairman (Female) Mrs. Nike Oriola, and Deputy National Chairman (NLC) Prof. Theophilus Ndubuaku.
INEC now holds competing lists amid accusations of external interference and member defections, leaving the commission to determine the authentic leadership in this protracted opposition party feud.
