By Pascal Ibe

Introduction

The Labour Party in Nigeria has been grappling with a severe and protracted leadership crisis, characterized by deep-seated factional disputes. While the party gained unprecedented popularity and a massive following, particularly among young people, during the 2023 presidential election with its candidate, Peter Obi.

Julius Abure’s faction has consistently claimed to be the legitimate leadership in Labour Party, citing party conventions and court rulings to support his position. On the other hand, Nenadi Usman’s group, backed by key figures like Abia State Governor Alex Otti and the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), has also emerged as a power bloc challenging Abure’s leadership.

The legal tussle between the two factions has created confusion and allowed both sides to claim legitimacy based on favorable court rulings. The Supreme Court has weighed in on some of these matters, with the interpretations of its rulings becoming a new source of conflict.

In July, the Labour Party (LP) statutory National Executive Committee (NEC) elected Senator Nenadi Usman as the Interim National Chairman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as the Interim National Secretary, among others, as members of the party’s interim working committee

Claim

On 31st July 2025, an X user, @ADCNews, has claimed that Nigeria’s electoral commission, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has confirmed Sen Nenadi Usman as Acting Chairman of the Labour Party.

The post states, “Just In. INEC has confirmed Sen Nenadi Usman as Acting Chairman of Labour Party.

“At this rate
Tinubu is confused on where to set his trap.
ADC or LP.

The post by ADC News has generated 120k views and more than 2k likes with over 500 reposts.

Another X user, Thaò Abu made the same claim.

Verifying The Claim

First, no credible news organization in Nigeria has reported that Nenadi Usman was confirmed as Acting Chairman of the LP as of 1st August 2025.

A check on the official Facebook page and the X platform of INEC showed no information relating to this claim was published there.

The official website of INEC displayed Julius Abure as chairman of the party.

In May, INEC dismissed reports suggesting it has officially recognised certain individuals as leaders of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.

In a statement, the commission described the media reports as “false and misleading,” clarifying that no final decision has been taken regarding the leadership disputes within either party.

INEC explained that the names of LP officials currently listed on its website were uploaded earlier in compliance with a court order, unrelated to the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the party’s internal leadership crisis.

Verdict

This claim is FALSE. As of 1st August 2025, Julius Abure is still the INEC-recognized Labour Party chairman.