The leadership of the Labour Party has warned members, supporters, and aspirants against purchasing nomination forms from embattled former National Chairman, Julius Abure, describing such forms as “worthless paper.”
In a statement issued on Sunday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, the party accused Abure of impersonation and attempting to mislead unsuspecting aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The statement followed the circulation of photos on social media allegedly showing Abure presenting nomination forms to some individuals in Abia State.
According to the party, “Let it be stated clearly and unequivocally that Nenadi Usman is the National Chairman of the Labour Party, and all legitimate nomination forms for every elective position ahead of the 2027 general elections can only be obtained through the official National Secretariat of the party located in Utako, Abuja.
“Consequently, any so-called Labour Party nomination form obtained from Julius Abure or any other unauthorised source is nothing but worthless paper being peddled by political fraudsters seeking to deceive unsuspecting persons.”
The party also questioned why the alleged sale of forms was concentrated in Abia State, insisting Governor Alex Otti would not give in to “blackmail, intimidation or street-corner political theatrics.”
It further maintained that Abure’s continued claim to the party’s leadership amounts to criminal impersonation.
“Julius Abure’s continued impersonation of the office of the National Chairman of the Labour Party remains a criminal offence of serious legal consequence that has reached an intolerable height,” the statement added.
Attempts to get Abure’s reaction were unsuccessful as his phone line could not be reached at the time of filing the report.
The development is the latest in the lingering leadership crisis within the Labour Party involving Abure and the Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee.
The crisis worsened after the Court of Appeal reportedly affirmed Usman’s leadership, a verdict Abure rejected while insisting he would challenge it at the Supreme Court.
Abure had argued that leadership disputes within political parties are internal matters that courts should not interfere in, maintaining that the ruling contradicted established legal precedents.
The appellate court’s decision reportedly upheld an earlier Federal High Court judgment recognising Usman as the party’s legitimate leader.
The situation took another turn after the Independent National Electoral Commission officially recognised the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the party’s leadership, in line with the Federal High Court’s directive.
