HURIWA Urges IGP to Act as Court Rulings Strip Abure of Labour Party Leadership

A leading civil rights organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has intensified pressure on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to enforce court judgments removing Julius Abure as National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), warning that continued inaction undermines the rule of law.
HURIWA’s call followed a fresh ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which reaffirmed that the Nenadi Usman–led caretaker committee is the legitimate leadership of the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention.
In its judgment, delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise the Usman-led committee as the only lawful authority empowered to represent the party. The ruling also reinforced the Supreme Court’s April 4, 2024 verdict, which invalidated Abure’s leadership.
Reacting to the decision, the National cordinator of HURIWA Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko urged the police to arrest and prosecute Abure for impersonation should he continue to parade himself as Labour Party chairman, describing such conduct as a direct affront to judicial authority.
“The continued defiance of clear and binding court judgments is a grave threat to constitutional democracy,” the group said, calling on INEC to formally request police enforcement of the rulings to “restore sanity to the political space.”
The rights group rejected claims that the leadership dispute is an internal party matter, noting that both the Supreme Court and the Federal High Court had ruled decisively on the issue. Justice Lifu held that the establishment of a caretaker committee was a lawful necessity arising from the apex court’s decision.
HURIWA recalled that the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) had earlier removed Abure and constituted a 29-member caretaker committee, chaired by former Finance Minister Nenadi Usman, to stabilise the party.
The organisation warned that allowing court judgments to be ignored sets a dangerous precedent and weakens democratic institutions.
“If Supreme Court rulings can be openly disregarded without consequence, then the foundations of our democracy are in serious danger,” HURIWA stated, adding that a credible opposition must be protected to prevent Nigeria from sliding toward a de facto one-party system.
The group insisted that enforcing the judgments is not optional but a constitutional duty, urging the police to act swiftly to uphold the authority of the courts and preserve public confidence in the justice system.