Labour Party State Chairmen Oppose Fresh Congress, Urge INEC to Sanction Nenadi Usman

State chairmen of the Labour Party have rejected plans to hold a fresh round of party congresses scheduled to begin on March 26, 2026, calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard the notice and sanction those behind it.

The Labour Party State Chairmen Forum, which comprises chairmen elected during the party’s congresses held on December 6, 2025, said the proposed congresses being advanced by a caretaker committee allegedly led by Senator Nenadi Usman violate the party’s constitution and existing laws.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said the memo sent to INEC notifying the commission of plans to conduct fresh congresses did not comply with the Labour Party constitution.

According to Ifoh, only the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) has the constitutional authority to determine the date, time, and guidelines for conducting party congresses.

He further argued that the tenure of state, local government, and ward executives elected during the December 2025 congresses is four years, making any attempt to organise new congresses before the expiration of their tenure invalid.

“The notice for another congress cannot be valid under the Labour Party constitution when the tenure of those elected in December 2025 still subsists,” he said.

The forum also called on INEC to take disciplinary action against Senator Nenadi Usman and her group, insisting that their actions were unlawful.

Ifoh stated that INEC had previously rejected a request by the group to conduct congresses and warned that the caretaker committee could not act on behalf of the party.

He also reiterated the party’s position that Usman was never a member of the Labour Party, adding that her communications with the electoral body demonstrated a lack of understanding of the party’s constitution.

The Labour Party leaders also referenced a letter dated February 16, in which INEC reportedly said it had no knowledge of any NEC meeting convened by the caretaker committee for the purpose of dissolving or electing new party executives.

According to the statement, it would be unlawful for a caretaker committee to dissolve duly elected party executives and unilaterally appoint another caretaker structure across the federation.

“It is not only unlawful but also an aberration that a caretaker committee will seek to summarily dismiss duly elected executives of a political party and in turn appoint a caretaker committee in their stead,” the statement said.

The forum further urged INEC to consider designating an official of the commission to oversee the affairs of the Labour Party to maintain order.

The party also noted that the leadership had already appealed a Federal High Court judgment related to the ongoing dispute.

Meanwhile, the Nenadi Usman-led faction has scheduled its Congress and National Convention for 2026, with Ward Congresses on 26th March 2026, LGA Congresses on 28th March 2026, State Congresses on 31st March 2026, and the National Convention on 11th April 2026.