Citing the end of Julius Abure’s term and the Supreme Court’s legally enforceable ruling from April 4, 2025, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has revoked its accreditation of him as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
In a sworn counter-affidavit submitted to the Federal High Court in Abuja, the Commission’s stance seems to have finally resolved the party’s months-long leadership dispute.
INEC clarified in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/1523/2025 that Abure’s term expired in June 2024 in accordance with the Supreme Court’s decision in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025, which rejected his allegations for lack of jurisdiction and overturned all previous decisions that upheld his leadership.
“The defendant (INEC) cannot accept and issue access codes for the upload of candidates’ nomination forms (EC9, EC9F, and EC9G) for the by-election scheduled for 16/8/2025 to the plaintiff (Abure-led LP), as there were no valid National Chairman and National Secretary for the defendant to deal with, as provided in Exhibit INEC 2,” said Ayuba Mohammed, INEC’s Executive Officer (Litigation and Prosecution), in his deposition to the affidavit.
In response to Abure’s contested re-election claim at the National Convention in Nnewi on March 27, 2024, INEC insisted that it neither observed nor recognized the event, claiming it violated the Labour Party’s constitution, the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and the Electoral Act 2022 and its regulations.
