The leadership of the Labour Party has warned party members, supporters and aspirants against obtaining nomination forms from the 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 deceive unsuspecting aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Asogwa said the party was compelled to respond following the circulation of pictures on social media showing Abure presenting what he described as nomination forms to some individuals in Abia State.
The statement partly read, “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 Abure’s alleged “sales activities” were concentrated in Abia State, warning that Governor Alex Otti would not succumb to “blackmail, intimidation or street-corner political theatrics.”
It further alleged that Abure’s continued claim to the office of the party’s national chairman amounted 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.
Efforts to reach Abure for a reaction were unsuccessful, as his telephone line was unreachable at the time of filing this report.
The warning comes amid lingering tensions within the party following the leadership tussle between Abure and the Usman-led caretaker committee.
The crisis deepened after the Court of Appeal reportedly affirmed Usman’s leadership, a decision Abure rejected, insisting it was unacceptable and vowing to challenge it at the Supreme Court.
He maintained that party leadership disputes are internal matters beyond judicial interference and argued that the ruling did not align with established legal precedents.
The appellate court’s verdict reportedly upheld an earlier judgment of the Federal High Court which recognised Usman as the legitimate leader of the party.
The turning point came when the Independent National Electoral Commission formally recognised the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the leadership of the party, acting on the directive of the Federal High Court.
