The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
A review of INEC’s website shows that both names have now been updated in the commission’s list of party officials. Also included is Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, listed as the LP’s National Secretary.
INEC noted that the changes to the Labour Party’s leadership were made in compliance with a court directive, though it did not indicate whether the PDP update was also a result of a legal order.
Last month, the Supreme Court overturned previous decisions by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal that had sacked Abure from his position. The apex court ruled that the matter was an internal party affair and outside the jurisdiction of the judiciary.
Following the ruling, Abure maintained that his leadership of the party remained intact, arguing that the court had effectively affirmed that his position could not be determined by external legal battles.
In the aftermath of the ruling, Abia State Governor Alex Otti submitted a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court decision to INEC. He described the move as a step toward fostering transparency and alignment within the Labour Party.
Despite this, a faction of the party, supported by Otti and the LP’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, backed a Caretaker Committee led by Senator Nenadi Usman, interpreting the court ruling as a removal of Abure from office.
An INEC source later clarified that Abure’s reinstatement followed the commission’s review of the court judgment. According to the official, the Supreme Court didn’t rule on the substance of the leadership dispute but simply stated that the lower courts had no jurisdiction over the matter, effectively restoring the pre-litigation status quo.
In a parallel development, the Supreme Court also reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the PDP’s national secretary, nullifying lower court decisions that had favoured Sunday Ude-Okoye in the leadership tussle.
The court ruled that, like in the LP case, the issue was an internal party dispute and outside the scope of judicial intervention.
 has officially recognised Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).){kind=link}