RESOLUTION ADOPTED AT THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL (NEC) OF LABOUR PARTY HELD ON MONDAY 7TH APRIL 2025 AT THE NATIONAL SECRETARIAT UTAKO, ABUJA AT 11:00 AM.

The NEC meeting was attended by members of the National Working Meeting, National officers of the party, state Chairmen and Secretaries, Stakeholders of the party, and other co-opted members of the National Executive Council provided by Article 13 (A) of the Party Constitution.

At the end of the meeting, the following resolutions were approved and adopted;
1. Labour Party expresses satisfaction with the Supreme Court decision which has returned the power, glory and supremacy of political parties to the parties.

2. The court asserted the supremacy of the party over its internal affairs and that leadership of a political party is not for any court to decide as it is a no go area for the court and so the court DID NOT sack the NWC leadership.

3. Accordingly, NEC in session reaffirmed the Nnewi National Convention held on the 27th of March 2024 that produced the current National Working Committee (NWC) members under the chairmanship of Barrister Julius Abure.

The NEC in session believes very strongly that the present National Working Committee will lead the party in subsequent elections to victory and therefore reimpose their confidence in the NWC.

4. NEC in session condem in strong terms the activities of the Caretaker Committee illegally established by Alex Otti and Peter Obi in a so-called Stakeholders meeting held on the 4th of September 2024 in Umuahia.

5. The Supreme court admonished party leaders and members of the party to always abide by the constitution of the party.

NEC noted that Article 14 (4) (B) gives power to call meetings only to the National Secretary with the approval of the National Chairman. Accordingly, NEC warned all members to abide by the constitution of the party.

6. NEC in session notes the various anti-party activities of Gov. Alex Otti, including calling of unauthorized Stakeholders meeting and usurping the powers of NEC.

He also conducted LGA Election using another Political Party. The Governor has also intensified his effort to factionalize the party leadership by caliing an illegal NEC schedule to hold on Wednesday.

The leadership of the Labour Party is also aware of Governor’s plot to cripple our party before moving to another political party where he hope to contest the 2027 Governorshp Election.

His anti-party activities is unbecoming of highly respected personality and can no longer be acceptable, NEC stated that it will not hesitate to discipline him in line with Article 19 of the Party’s Constitution.

7. NEC in session noted that would not hesitate to discipline any other erring member who violates the party constitution regardless of how big or powerful such individuals may be.

8. NEC in session in exercise of its duties, hereby caution the former presidential candidate of our great party not to participate in any action capable of undermining the peace unity, and integrity of the party as the NEC will not hesitate to issue stiffer penalty if found culpable.

9. NEC in session reviewed the activities of the House of Representatives Caucus leader, Honourable Victor Adam Ogene and wishes to note as follow: That the voice of the current leadership of the party is not being heard in the hallowed lower chambers; that there is a lack of cohesion amongst our members in the House; that the leadership appears to be compromised; and that the ideology and programs of the party are not well represented.

NEC in session, as result of the aforementioned decided to relieve Honourable Ogene of that leadership role for dereliction of duty.

Consequently, Hon. Barrister Ben Etanabene has been appointed by the NEC in session as the Labour Party’s Caucus Leader in the House of Representatives.

NEC mandated the NWC to communicate the decision to relevant authorities.

He is to hand over all the party’s properties in his possession, particularly all the financial contributions made so far by other Labour Party lawmakers which are in his possession to the party, and render proper account to the party with immediate effect.

The party will go to any length to retrieve all its belongings, including monies that belong to it which Hon. Ogene is holding tight to.

10. NEC in session assured all Nigerians of a good leadership under the current leadership of the Labour Party.

Labour Party is willing to provide Nigerians good governance, security, economic growth and development, infrastructure development, robust electoral system, free and independent judiciary, if given the opportunity and mandate by Nigerians to provide leaders for the country.

We therefore assure all Nigerians of a political party that is different, and that has internal party democracy.

– Barrister Julius Abure

National Chairman

– Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim
National Secretary

The Labour Party (LP) is approaching a pivotal moment, with power blocs within the party preparing for a decisive political battle in Abuja this week, as former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti lead the charge to reclaim control of the party.

This showdown comes just days after the Supreme Court ruled on the LP’s ongoing leadership crisis, a decision that, instead of resolving the issue, has deepened the divisions within the party.

The apex court nullified the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Julius Abure, but the embattled chairman has refused to back down, holding his own National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Monday.

The Abure-led NEC issued a warning to Otti, threatening sanctions if he proceeds with a planned stakeholders’ meeting on April 9, 2025.

The faction also cautioned Obi against actions that could exacerbate disunity within the party.

Despite rumours suggesting that Obi might defect to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Yunusa Tanko, National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, reassured that Obi remains a member of the Labour Party.

Abure, in a statement following the Supreme Court verdict, called it a “triumph for internal party sovereignty,” using the occasion to solidify his hold on the party.

He declared, “The court has said it loud and clear: leadership tussles are not for judicial arbitration. This is a resounding victory not for Abure, but for party democracy across Nigeria.”

Not resting on legal interpretations, Obi and Otti are jointly leading the charge to restore unity in the party, calling for a critical NEC and Stakeholders’ Townhall scheduled for April 9, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.

The event is being viewed as a potential turning point for the divided party.

The duo issued a joint invitation for the meeting, which will include the 2023 vice presidential candidate, current and former lawmakers, National Assembly candidates from the last elections, members of the National Caretaker Committee, former gubernatorial aspirants, NLC/TUC Political Commission representatives, and former NWC members.

Political analysts see this wide-reaching engagement as an attempt to restore discipline, rebuild consensus, and create a unified strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.

One LP strategist said, “This is not just a power move, it is a rescue mission. What Abure is doing is political brinkmanship. What Obi and Otti are offering is party revival.”

At the parallel NEC meeting held on the same day at the party’s Utako secretariat, Abure’s supporters passed several controversial resolutions, including the reinstatement of Abure’s mandate and the affirmation of the March 27, 2024, Nnewi Convention, which was rejected by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

They declared the convention binding, while accusing Obi and Otti of engineering an “illegal caretaker committee.”

The Abure-led NEC also condemned Obi and Otti for “divisive actions” and accused Otti of anti-party activities, warning him of the possibility of defection.

The faction removed Victor Ogene as House Caucus Leader and replaced him with Ben Etanabene, reaffirming their commitment to upholding party discipline “regardless of influence.”

Despite expectations, the Supreme Court ruling, which terminated Abure’s NWC on procedural grounds, has sparked a political battle between the Obi-Otti reformists and the Abure-led establishment.

Some legal experts argue that, while the court acknowledged the autonomy of political parties, it left enough ambiguity to fuel both camps’ claims to legitimacy.

A communiqué issued by the Abure faction’s national secretary, Umar Farouk, at the conclusion of the NEC meeting emphasized that the Supreme Court judgment did not explicitly remove Julius Abure as the National Chairman.

The outcome of the LP meeting in Abuja on April 9 could determine the party’s future—whether it will emerge stronger and more united or sink further into internal conflict, just two years before the next general elections.

Tanko also stated that LP leaders would meet later in the week to address key issues, including the Supreme Court judgment that ousted Abure.

He reaffirmed that Obi’s membership status in LP “remains unchanged,” countering claims by former SDP presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo, who suggested that Obi and Atiku Abubakar were in talks with the SDP for potential defections.

Senator Natasha, 

Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi Central Senatorial District in Kogi State, has filed a N5.1 billion lawsuit against Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, accusing him of defamation.

The suit, marked CV/1359/25, was filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in the Abuja Judicial Division on April 7, 2025, through her counsel led by Michael Jonathan Numa SAN.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan claims that Senator Nwaebonyi, during an appearance on the Channels TV Sunrise Daily program on March 6, 2025, falsely referred to her as a “gold digger,” “habitual liar,” and “habitual blackmailer.”

According to her, these statements were “false, malicious, defamatory, actionable per se,” and have caused significant harm to her reputation.

The suspended senator also mentioned that the defamatory remarks resulted in substantial distress and embarrassment, damaging her public standing and the respect she once held among her supporters and the general public.

Senator Natasha is seeking various reliefs. Such as;

“A DECLARATION that the statements made and published by the Defendant during an interview on or about the 6th day of March, 2025, on Channels TV Sunrise Daily program where the Claimant was falsely branded as a ‘gold digger,’ ‘habitual liar,’ ‘habitual blackmailer,’ are false, malicious, defamatory, actionable per se, and have therefore caused significant and/or capable of causing harm to the Claimant’s reputation, resulting in considerable distress and embarrassment which has lowered and/or aimed to lower the Claimant’s standing in the eyes of the public and diminished her esteem in the eyes of the Public and her admirers.”

“A DECLARATION that the following words: ‘Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan is a gold digger,’ ‘habitual liar,’ ‘habitual blackmailer,’ were maliciously and falsely published by the Defendant against the Claimant during the Channels TV Sunrise Daily program on or about the 6th March, 2025, to millions of viewers worldwide on Channels Television, as well as to members of the public within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, are highly defamatory to the Claimant’s character and reputation.”

“A DECLARATION that the statement made and published by the Defendant during an interview on or about the 3rd day of March, 2025, on Arise News TV, accusing the Claimant of being ‘a mother of six from different men,’ is false, malicious, defamatory, actionable per se and has injured and/or capable of injuring the Claimant’s character, prestige, pedigree, and reputation in the estimation of the public and her admirers.”

“A DECLARATION that the following words as contained in the YouTube link: ‘This woman is spoiling game for women who want to enter politics. Are you the only woman in Nigeria Senator Natasha!? What is wrong with you?'”

“A DECLARATION that the following words as contained in the YouTube Video link of News Central TV Reportage: ‘Even her present husband she married her, out of, out of, out of something like this, she threatened to sue the man, I have a letter circulating over the world that the man should pay her 10 billion or marry her. The man had to marry her under duress. So this… the marriage was under duress, another product of blackmail. She accused Reno Omokri of sexual harassment during the time of Goodluck Jonathan as president when the young man was already in the United States attending to national issues. Upon the slightest provocation, she would come up with allegations of sexual harassment…. Even her present husband—he married her out of things like this. She threatened to sue the man’ were maliciously and falsely published by the Defendant against the Claimant on the 27th March, 2025 to all the viewers on YouTube and the entire public within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, are highly defamatory and injurious to the Claimant.”

“A DECLARATION that the different publications complained above are false, malicious, unjustified, injurious, scornful, distasteful, unsavory, and have exposed and/or capable of exposing the Claimant to public odium, ridicule, and disdain both nationally and internationally.”

“A DECLARATION that the words complained of do not constitute a valid exercise by the Defendant of his freedom of speech and expression.”

“AN ORDER of perpetual injunction restraining the Defendant, his associates, agents, assignees, servants, privies, proxies, allies or anyone howsoever called from further publishing or causing to be published the words complained of or any other defamatory words concerning the Claimant.”

“AN ORDER OF THIS HONOURABLE COURT compelling the Defendant to retract the defamatory words on the same platforms used to make the defamatory publications and tender an unreserved apology in at least two national newspapers electronically and vide print media circulated Nationwide within 7 days from the day of the delivery of the judgment of this Honourable Court.”

“AN order of this Honourable Court awarding the sum of ₦5,000,000,000.00 (Five Billion Naira) Only, against the Defendant being aggravated and exemplary damages in favour of the Claimant for the false, malicious and injurious statements that have since caused the Claimant considerable distress, reputational harm, embarrassment, and emotional distress.”

“AN order of this Honourable Court awarding post-judgment interest on the judgment sum awarded to the Claimant at the rate of 10% (Ten percent) per annum from the date of delivery of the judgment until the judgment debt is fully liquidated.”

“Cost of this action accessed at ₦100,000,000.00 (One Hundred Million Naira) only.”

“FOR such further order(s) as this Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances.”

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), made up of governors elected under the All Progressives Congress (APC), has reiterated the unity and strength of the party, asserting that it remains Nigeria’s largest and most stable political force, well-positioned for success in the 2027 general elections.

Hope Uzodinma, the Chairman of the PGF and Governor of Imo State, shared this message during a visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence.

After a private meeting with Buhari, Uzodinma spoke to the press, calling the visit a gesture of solidarity and a demonstration of the APC’s internal cohesion.

“The visit followed the conclusion of Ramadan, Lent, and Eid-el-Fitr celebrations, and we thought it important to come and pay homage to President Buhari, who served two terms under the APC,” Uzodinma explained.

He also highlighted Buhari’s significance within the party.

“President Buhari is a father figure to us in the APC. We are pleased to find him in good health and sound mind,” Uzodinma said.

The Imo State Governor expressed gratitude to Buhari for his leadership and his pivotal role in establishing a unified political structure that helped the APC retain power.

“The APC is growing stronger and has the capacity to govern Nigeria effectively. This strength comes from our ability to consult widely and prioritize national interest above personal ambitions,” he stated.

Uzodinma also emphasized that maintaining internal unity and strong leadership is critical for the party’s continued electoral success.