Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Oba Maduabuchi has called on the Labour Party to leverage internal mechanisms and political dialogue to resolve its ongoing leadership crisis, emphasizing that the Supreme Court’s April 2025 ruling mandates political, not judicial, solutions.
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Speaking on a television program, Maduabuchi criticized the faction led by Barrister Julius Abure for suspending key figures like Abia State Governor Alex Otti, Senator Ireti Kingibe, and federal lawmakers, warning that such actions could weaken the party’s viability. He also questioned the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) recognition of Abure as national chairman, citing potential misrepresentation on INEC’s website.
The Labour Party has been embroiled in a leadership dispute between factions led by Abure and Nenadi Usman, with both claiming legitimacy. The Abure faction recently suspended Governor Otti, Senator Kingibe, and other lawmakers, prompting condemnation from Otti’s camp, which described Abure’s actions as “an affront to democracy” and accused him of pursuing a “self-serving economic agenda.” The Supreme Court’s April 4, 2025, ruling (SC/614/2018) declared that courts should not interfere in the internal affairs of political parties, urging the Labour Party to resolve its leadership disputes politically. Despite this, the crisis persists, with INEC’s website listing Abure as chairman “by court order,” a claim Maduabuchi disputes.
Maduabuchi clarified that political parties have the right to suspend members, regardless of their status, as membership in any organization is subject to its rules. “You can be suspended as a member of a party, any organization you belong to. It doesn’t matter what status you hold,” he stated. However, he questioned the strategic wisdom of suspending key figures like Otti, the party’s only governor, and its national legislators, asking, “You suspend all your national legislators and you still claim to be a party?” He argued that such moves, while legally permissible, risk undermining the Labour Party’s cohesion and public standing.
Maduabuchi emphasized that the Supreme Court’s ruling does not bar courts from addressing legal or constitutional issues, such as tenure violations, but excludes them from political questions like leadership selection. “The Supreme Court said that all political questions, all political issues are beyond the courts because they are decided based on political considerations,” he explained, citing the example of President Bola Tinubu’s strategic coalition with former President Muhammadu Buhari to secure power. He urged the Labour Party to emulate such “political sagacity” to resolve its crisis.
Maduabuchi expressed concern over INEC’s recognition of Abure as national chairman, noting that the commission’s website cites a “court order” he is unaware of. “The Supreme Court, the highest court of the land, said go and sort your issues politically… There’s no court order I’m aware of,” he said, suggesting that INEC may be misleading the public. He highlighted the importance of a party’s constitution, which is deposited with INEC under Nigeria’s Constitution, as a binding document. “It’s not cosmetic… It’s for INEC to know this is the authentic constitution,” he noted, explaining that INEC monitors compliance, such as requiring 21 days’ notice for leadership elections.
He warned that without adherence to constitutional processes, such as proper notification and elections, INEC’s recognition of any leader lacks legitimacy. “If INEC is there and they elect Abure for four years, at the end of that four years, INEC expects that you will give it 21 days’ notice before another election is held,” he said, adding that failure to follow these rules could invalidate claims to leadership.
Maduabuchi stressed that the Labour Party must resolve its crisis through internal dialogue and adherence to its constitution, as the Supreme Court’s ruling precludes judicial intervention in political disputes. He noted that the ongoing factionalism, with neither side yielding, ensures the crisis “is not going to end” without compromise. He criticized the lack of effective internal mechanisms, stating, “You wonder what’s happening with the internal mechanisms of political parties in Nigeria.”
He also cautioned that legal battles are unlikely to resolve the dispute definitively, as new cases would restart the judicial process due to the factions’ entrenched positions. “The whole thing must start afresh because of the stance of the two contestants. Nobody is yielding an inch,” he said. Instead, he urged the party to prioritize unity and strategic decision-making to maintain its relevance ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Labour Party’s crisis has drawn comparisons to past disputes in other parties, such as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Maduabuchi referenced his involvement in a case 13 years ago challenging APGA’s leadership tenure, which succeeded because it raised a legal issue. However, he noted that the Labour Party’s current dispute is purely political, requiring negotiation rather than litigation.
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