The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted a verification exercise at the Labour Party (LP) national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday, following the Court of Appeal's ruling the previous day affirming Senator Nenadi Usman as chairman of the party's Interim National Working Committee (INWC). A team led by Mallam Mansur Hassan visited the Utako facility to assess the party's leadership structure, physical office, membership register, and documentation on the tenancy or ownership of the secretariat building. Hassan clarified that INEC's role was strictly monitoring, stating, "We are INEC monitors, we are not observers. We are here to monitor and correct things, not observe." The team planned to verify the composition of the National Working Committee in line with the LP constitution, inspect tenancy or ownership documents, and obtain a soft copy of the party's membership database.
Senator Nenadi Usman welcomed the team, asserting the party was fully prepared for the process. She emphasized unity, saying the party was not about individuals but about building a strong foundation. Usman claimed leadership would change over time, adding, "The leader will come and go, the party will remain," and described the court judgment as having "no victor, no vanquished." Barrister Julius Abure, who leads a rival faction, has indicated plans to appeal the appellate court's decision at the Supreme Court.
Senator Nenadi Usman declares the party bigger than any individual while positioning herself as its current leader, moments after a court win she claims has no victor. The INEC verification proceeds even as a rival faction under Barrister Julius Abure prepares a Supreme Court challenge, leaving the party's unity on paper but contested in practice. Nigerians who backed the Labour Party as a symbol of change now face the reality of internal disputes mirroring the political norms they hoped to move beyond. The claim of reconciliation rings hollow while legal battles over leadership continue.
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