Senator Nenadi Esther Usman has officially assumed office as the Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, becoming the first female to lead a major political party in Nigeria.
Usman and her team on Tuesday officially took over the party’s national secretariat in Utako District, Abuja, following a Federal High Court judgment that affirmed the removal of Julius Abure as national chairman and directed the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise the Usman-led National Caretaker Committee as the lawful leadership of the LP.
“I want to particularly thank God Almighty for a day like this. This is the day that the Lord has made; we shall rejoice and be glad in it,” Usman said while addressing journalists at the secretariat. “It’s a very important day because this is the first event we are having in our national secretariat since the Supreme Court judgment on April 4 last year.”
The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, ordered INEC to recognise Usman as the valid leader of the Labour Party. In a judgment delivered by Justice Peter Lifu, the court relied on the April 4, 2025 verdict of the Supreme Court to uphold Usman’s leadership and consequently removed Abure as the National Chairman of the party. “The court ordered INEC to forthwith recognise the Nenadi Usman–led Caretaker Committee as the only valid authority to represent the Labour Party, pending the conduct of a national convention,” the judgment stated.
Justice Lifu said that the evidence before the court established that Abure’s tenure as the National Chairman of the party had elapsed and they could not leave a leadership vacuum in the party. “While rejecting Abure’s contention that the dispute was an internal party affair and therefore non-justiciable, the court held that the constitution of the Labour Party Caretaker Committee was a necessity flowing from the decision of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Usman, a former Minister of Finance and ex-Senator representing Kaduna South, was appointed to lead a 29-member caretaker committee in July 2025 after the National Executive Committee resolved to remove Abure. The decision was taken at an expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party held in Umuahia and hosted by the Governor of Abia, Alex Otti. The meeting at which Abure was removed from office was chaired by the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Speaking after taking over the secretariat, Usman acknowledged that the journey was not without challenges. “What we thought was going to be smooth sailing took a long time, but with patience, today we are here. We want to thank God for it and promise all party faithful across the country that we will do the right thing at the right time. All we want is to develop this party,” she said. She praised the efforts of Abia State Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, and his team, who have been working since the committee’s inauguration in December. “They’ve been doing a lot of work, and we thought it would be nice to meet today in front of the press to let the whole country know what we have done so far,” Usman said.
“For those who have been very supportive and encouraged us, we want to let you know that we will not let you down,” she added.
When correspondents visited the secretariat early Tuesday, February 10, the premises bore a fresh outlook. Billboards and banners of the former national chairman, Julius Abure, which previously dominated the complex, had been taken down and replaced with large images of Senator Usman, signaling a visible shift in authority following the recent court judgement that affirmed her leadership.
Usman, born November 12, 1966, served as Minister of Finance from July 2006 to May 2007 and represented Kaduna South Senatorial District from 2011 to 2015 on the PDP platform. She holds a B.Sc. and master’s in geography from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a master’s in strategy and security administration from the Nigerian Defense Academy. She began her career as a geography teacher at Government Secondary School in Kagoro, Kaduna State, and later served as Kaduna State’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Commissioner for Environment & Natural Resources, and Commissioner for Health.
The Labour Party NEC has since ratified and inaugurated the Interim National Working Committee under Usman’s leadership, with Senator Darlington Nwokocha as interim National Secretary. The NEC also approved schedules for Ward Congresses, Local Government Area Congresses, State Congresses, Zonal Congresses, and the National Convention.
The Abure faction has indicated plans to appeal the judgement. The party has lost about 21 lawmakers in 12 months amid the leadership tussle, and on December 31, 2025, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, officially defected from the party and joined the African Democratic Congress.
Dr. Yusuf Abdullahi, spokesperson for the Kaduna State 2023 Labour Party candidates, said Nenadi’s emergence saved the party from collapse. “If not for her emergence, Nigeria’s electoral bodies would have deregistered the Labour Party, which would not have been able to participate in any of the elections,” he stated.
