Senator Nenadi Usman, Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, has declared that the party will appear as the only recognised Labour Party on the ballot once the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) implements the Federal High Court judgment affirming her leadership.
Speaking on ARISE Primetime on Monday, Usman said INEC recognition would eliminate any ambiguity over party leadership and electoral legitimacy, insisting that no parallel faction would have legal standing to participate in elections.
“With the recognition by INEC, it means only one party, which is my party, would be on the ballot. And it means we are the only ones who can write INEC and INEC would come and attend primary elections we are conducting or congresses or whatever. So, it means that there will be no ambiguity about who is the leader and which part of the party is the party.”
Her comments follow a ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which affirmed the Labour Party caretaker committee led by Usman as the lawful leadership of the party, declared Julius Abure’s tenure expired, and directed INEC to recognise the new authority pending a national convention.
Usman said the ruling had already triggered a surge in political interest and membership momentum within the party.
“As you said, it gives the legal backing and the party is made up of human beings. Since Wednesday after that ruling, the number and calibre of people who have been calling, wanting to join — some were members before they left but they want to come back. Some were never members at all and they want to come back. And the strength of a party just depends on how many people it has as members.”
She added:
“So, I think that apart from the legal backing, with the kind of support my team and I received after the judgement, it gave me a lot of courage and I believe that we are going to get it right at the end of the day.”
Addressing concerns about the party’s grassroots strength ahead of 2027, Usman said the Labour Party’s institutional structure places it in a uniquely strong position nationwide.
“We are at that stage because we have a team in place that has been talking about membership e-registration. I’m sure you know that is the brainchild of the Labour Party, even though other political parties are now doing the same. But the Labour Party is the only political party that has institutional members like the TUC and the NLC.”
She explained:
“There is nowhere, no polling unit in Nigeria that you go to that you wouldn’t get someone who had either been a teacher, a nurse or a retired civil servant. So, if you use that structure, the Labour Party is actually supposed to be the strongest party in Nigeria if you know what you are doing.”
Responding to criticisms about the party’s 2023 performance, Usman said the labour movement was not properly integrated into the electoral process.
“That is because the NLC and the TUC were not carried along as they should have been. Because if they had been made polling agents, as we had them in almost every polling unit, if they had been given that opportunity to do it, they would have done it and would not have run into the problems we ran into.”
On the continuing resistance from the Abure faction, Usman said she had attempted reconciliation but remained confident in the judicial process.
“Since after the judgement, I extended the olive branch. I said I felt everyone should come on. Let’s work together. Since they are not accepting it, they have the right to do that. But I know one thing — the judiciary is also aware that Nigerians depend on them. The success of democracy in Nigeria depends on the judiciary. So, I do not think they are going to keep dragging and dragging and dragging on and on.”
She dismissed claims of internal hostility within the party:
“We are not attacking each other. If your tenure is over, your tenure is over. The institutional members, the other members of NEC, come together, sit together with the leader of the party, who is His Excellency Governor Alex Otti, because he is the most senior political office holder in our party.”
She added:
“So, if the major stakeholders and the NEC members come together and say INEC has told us that we don’t have any leadership anymore and because of that we have to do something, we have to come up with a team that would help us organise congresses right from the ward level to local government, state, and then culminate into a national convention, that has been done.”
“They said they do not want to do it, but you see, the way you see me, I’m a very peaceful woman. I don’t look like somebody who has been out there fighting. I’m not at daggers drawn with anybody.”
Usman ruled out using the caretaker structure to exclude rivals from future party processes.
“No, we do not intend to, in the course of organising the congresses and the national convention, to permanently lock them out. We wouldn’t do that, because a political party is a vehicle for winning elections, and if you need to win elections, then you have to carry everybody on board — the good, the bad, and the ugly.”
She said:
“They don’t have anything to fear. Present yourself. Come forward, present yourself, and if people like you, they vote for you, and if they voted for you, you won. It’s as simple as ABC.”
On the departure of Peter Obi from the party, Usman said Labour remained viable nationally.
“Nigeria is a country of over 250 million people, very brilliant people, and quite a number of them may be unknown to you or unknown to even me. But we still have them. We have the calibre of people that can contest elections if they so wish.”
“Yes, we wish Peter had stayed back, but since he decided to leave, we wished him well. But also, we have discovered that there are a lot of people who we thought would have left, but decided they are still staying on, because they believe in the ideology of the party.”
She added:
“They believe in social justice, and they feel that they would rather remain in it and slog it out.”
Coalition Politics and Party Autonomy
On possible mergers or coalitions ahead of 2027, Usman said no unilateral decisions would be taken.
“For the Labour Party at the moment, we are not in any talks about merger or any coalition with anybody. But I cannot rule it out that we could do that.”
She stressed collective leadership:
“It’s not just my decision alone. I cannot take that decision on my own. We have a BOT, we have a NEC, we have the interim NWC, and I am just one person among those people.”
“So when that time comes, I assure you, when we get to that river, we shall cross it. And we will let you know.”
Confidence in Party Leadership
Usman expressed confidence in Abia State Governor Alex Otti’s continued loyalty to the party:
“I am confident that he will, because he’s doing well. And if you look at the social justice Labour Party stands for, that is exactly what he is displaying in Abia State.”
“He is one governor that you may think I’m being selfish if I say he’s the best in the country, but he is doing very well. And if you ask people from Abia, they will tell you.”
Boluwatife Enome
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