INEC Reinstates Abure and Anyanwu on Website Following Supreme Court Rulings
Electoral Commission re-lists Labour and PDP chieftains after apex court declares party leadership disputes non-justiciable
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reinstated Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on its official website.
INEC’s update reflects recent judicial pronouncements, particularly from the Supreme Court, which ruled that disputes regarding both figures were internal matters of their respective parties and therefore not subject to litigation.
According to INEC, Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, who has also been restored as the LP’s National Secretary, were re-listed in compliance with a court order. The move follows the Commission’s receipt and review of a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
The apex court had in April overturned earlier decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal that ousted Abure, ruling that the Labour Party’s leadership tussle was not justiciable and should be handled internally.
Despite the ruling, prominent LP members such as Abia State Governor Alex Otti and the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, have continued to oppose Abure’s leadership. They maintain that the Supreme Court ruling effectively affirmed the authority of the party’s Caretaker Committee chaired by Senator Nenadi Usman.
Governor Otti, in a bid to clarify the party’s internal structure, formally submitted the Supreme Court judgment to INEC on April 9, 2025. He said the gesture was meant to ensure institutional alignment and clarity regarding the party’s current leadership.
INEC’s updated listing has nonetheless reignited tensions within the Labour Party, as factions continue to interpret the court’s ruling differently.
In a similar development, the electoral body also reinstated Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the PDP’s National Secretary on its website. While the Commission did not explicitly state if this was also based on a court directive, the Supreme Court had in March set aside the decisions of lower courts that nullified Anyanwu’s position.
Anyanwu’s reinstatement marks a resolution to the protracted leadership tussle between him and Sunday Ude-Okoye, who had the backing of a group of PDP governors.
As with the Labour Party case, the Supreme Court held that the matter was beyond judicial review, affirming that internal party leadership issues must be resolved within party frameworks.
These developments underscore the judiciary’s position that political parties should resolve internal conflicts without relying on court interventions—a stance that may shape future intra-party disputes across Nigeria’s political landscape.
