The leadership of the Labour Party has cautioned members, supporters and political aspirants against obtaining nomination forms from the party’s embattled former National Chairman, Julius Abure, declaring that any such documents are invalid.
The warning was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, who accused Abure of impersonation and misleading unsuspecting aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to Asogwa, the party decided to address the issue after images surfaced online showing Abure presenting what he described as Labour Party nomination forms to some individuals in Abia State.
The statement partly read, “Let it be stated clearly and unequivocally that Nenadi Usman is the National Chairman of the Labour Party, and all legitimate nomination forms for every elective position ahead of the 2027 general elections can only be obtained through the official National Secretariat of the party located in Utako, Abuja.
Consequently, any so-called Labour Party nomination form obtained from Julius Abure or any other unauthorised source is nothing but worthless paper being peddled by political fraudsters seeking to deceive unsuspecting persons.”
The party also questioned why Abure’s alleged distribution of forms was focused in Abia State, insisting that Governor Alex Otti would not yield to what it described as intimidation or political pressure.
It further maintained that Abure’s continued claim to the office of national chairman amounted to impersonation and could attract legal consequences.
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“Julius Abure’s continued impersonation of the office of the National Chairman of the Labour Party remains a criminal offence of serious legal consequence that has reached an intolerable height,” the statement added.
Attempts to obtain Abure’s reaction were unsuccessful, as his telephone line could not be reached at the time of filing the report.
The latest development comes amid the lingering leadership crisis within the party involving Abure and the caretaker committee led by Nenadi Usman.
The dispute intensified after the Court of Appeal reportedly upheld Usman’s leadership of the party, a ruling Abure rejected while insisting he would challenge the decision at the Supreme Court.
Abure had argued that leadership disputes within political parties are internal matters that should not be determined by the courts and maintained that the judgment was inconsistent with existing legal precedents.
The appellate court’s decision reportedly affirmed an earlier ruling by the Federal High Court recognising Usman as the legitimate leader of the party.
The situation further shifted after the Independent National Electoral Commission officially recognised the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee in compliance with the Federal High Court’s directive.