Senator Nenadi Usman-led National Caretaker Committee (NCC) of the Labour Party (LP) announced the suspension of former National Chairman Barr. Julius Abure and former National Secretary Umar Farouk for six months, citing findings of financial misconduct and anti-party activities, as detailed in a statement signed by Usman and NCC Secretary Senator Darlington Nwokocha, per The Guardian and Channels Television. The decision, ratified by the LP’s National Executive Council (NEC), followed an investigation by a disciplinary committee chaired by Senator Ireti Kingibe, with High Chief Peter Ameh as secretary, which uncovered “significant financial misconduct” involving fraudulent bank withdrawals and transfers, per Naija News.
The statement declared, “Barr. Julius Abure has been suspended for an initial period of six months and is prohibited from presenting himself as the National Chairman of the Labour Party. Mr. Umar Farouk, identified as a co-signer in most of the fraudulent bank withdrawals and transfers alongside Abure, has also been suspended for an initial six-month period, pending further investigation.” It further directed all members of Abure’s National Working Committee (NWC) to cease acting as LP representatives, warning of “more severe consequences” for non-compliance, per The Whistler. The LP emphasized its commitment to “transparency, accountability, and discipline,” aligning with a Supreme Court ruling on April 4, 2025, that nullified Abure’s chairmanship, per Business Hallmark.
This action counters the Abure-led faction’s May 7 suspension of Abia Governor Alex Otti, Senators Ireti Kingibe and Darlington Nwokocha, and others for alleged anti-party activities, which Otti dismissed as a “joke,” citing the court’s ruling and calling for Abure’s arrest for impersonation, per Premium Times. The Usman-led committee, backed by Otti and Peter Obi, had issued Abure a 48-hour ultimatum on May 7 to address allegations of corruption and forgery, per Tribune Online. X posts, including @GuardianNigeria’s May 9 report and @Nwaadaz’s May 7 post, reflect strong support for the suspensions, with users like @IPrinceSaviour labeling Abure’s faction “criminal elements.” However, Abure’s camp, via a May 7 statement, defended its financial records, claiming INEC audits ranked LP’s accounts among Nigeria’s best, and accused Usman of unresolved EFCC issues, per TheStar.
The crisis, rooted in a September 2024 NEC meeting in Umuahia that formed the Usman committee, has deepened LP’s divide, with Abure’s faction rejecting coalition talks and asserting legitimacy, per TheCable. The suspensions, affecting Abure’s entire NWC, aim to restore trust, but ongoing legal and political battles, including Otti’s push for INEC to enforce the Supreme Court judgment, signal a protracted struggle, per 21st Century Chronicle. With Nigeria’s 2027 elections looming, the LP’s internal turmoil, amplified by defections like Valentine Ozigbo’s to APC, threatens its unity and electoral prospects, per Daily Trust.
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