By BANNERNEWS Reporter
The leadership crisis within the Labour Party (LP) escalated on Tuesday night as the faction loyal to former National Chairman Barrister Julius Abure claimed to have regained control of the party’s national secretariat in Abuja from the camp led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman. The takeover came just hours after the Nenadi faction assumed control of the facility.
The Abure-led faction alleged that Nenadi Usman’s group, reportedly backed by the Abia State Government, had illegally broken into the Utako-based secretariat in the early hours of Tuesday. According to the statement, around 1am, the group allegedly gained entry with the help of “about eight truckloads of policemen,” forcibly breaching security doors to access the offices of the National Chairman and National Secretary.
The faction further claimed that sensitive party documents were removed, billboards bearing Abure’s image were torn down, and an unauthorised press conference was held inside the secretariat. It described the incursion as “illegal and unauthorised” and said the party had since regained control.
“The leadership of the party has since recovered its secretariat after it was discovered that the operation by Nenadi Usman and the Deputy Governor of Abia State was illegal,” the statement read. It added that the party would take inventory of losses and press formal charges over the invasion.
The Abure-led group assured party members that normal activities would resume at the national headquarters on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, and apologised for any inconvenience caused. The development underscores the prolonged tussle over the party’s national leadership, which has intensified following conflicting court rulings.
In response, the Nenadi Usman-led faction said the police had arrested suspected vandals who allegedly attempted to breach the secretariat. In a statement signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Interim National Chairman, the faction commended the Nigerian Police for their swift intervention in repelling the attack and restoring order.
“The Labour Party wishes to thank the Nigerian Police for their swift response in flushing out the vandals and miscreants who attempted to break into the Labour Party National Secretariat last night,” the statement read. It added that the suspects were assisting police in providing information that could identify their sponsors.
Observers who visited the secretariat on Wednesday noted a visible police presence, including patrol vehicles, armed officers, and Hilux vans stationed near the entrance. The Nenadi-led faction warned elements of the former leadership allegedly involved in the breach that acts of “brigandage” would no longer be tolerated.
The faction reiterated that the leadership question had been legally settled, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognising Senator Nenadi Usman and Senator Darlington Nwokocha as the National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.
“Nigeria is a nation governed by laws, not a banana republic,” the statement read. “Those rogue elements within the Party who are bent on creating unnecessary hysteria are hereby advised to desist forthwith from doing so in the name of the Labour Party.”
