…Demands her arrest
By Euclid Myke, Abuja
The Labour Party (LP) has accused the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, of criminal collusion with the party’s former national chairman, Julius Abure, to forge a non-existent court order purportedly recognising him(Abure) as the authentic leader of the party.
In a statement on Thursday, signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser (Media) to the Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, the party described the incident as “a brazen assault on democracy” and “a calculated attempt to subvert the rule of law.”
The controversy followed a meeting convened by Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, with leaders of all 18 registered political parties in Nigeria. The meeting, which was meant to discuss preparations for upcoming off-cycle elections and INEC’s internal reforms, took a controversial turn when Julius Abure, who had been removed by the Supreme Court earlier in the year, was invited to represent the Labour Party.
The Labour Party noted that the invitation of Abure, instead of Senator Nenadi Usman, who was affirmed as the substantive National Chairman by the Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, was a direct violation of the apex court’s ruling and amounted to contempt of court.
The statement further recalled that before leaving office, former INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had officially stopped recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, following the series of court judgments and internal party resolutions that validated Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership. The party said Yakubu’s position was communicated to both INEC officials and political stakeholders, leaving no ambiguity about who the Commission recognised as the legitimate leader of the Labour Party.
“Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu’s action, therefore, was not only illegal but also a direct reversal of an established INEC position taken under Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,” the statement said.
Barely 24 hours after the controversial meeting, Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu reportedly attempted to justify her decision by citing an alleged order of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Gwagwalada, purportedly directing INEC to recognise Abure as the Labour Party Chairman.
However, the Labour Party said its independent investigation revealed that no such court order existed. It explained that while Abure had filed a suit against INEC in Suit No: CV/1914/2025 before Hon. Justice Kayode Agunloye of Court 40, FCT High Court, Gwagwalada, a formal request for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of any purported order was met with a categorical confirmation from the court that no such order was ever granted.
“We therefore challenge Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu to produce the so-called court order that she relied upon to accord recognition to Julius Abure. The truth is that INEC’s acting leadership has willfully relied on a fabricated and non-existent order to justify an illegal and politically motivated act” the statement read.
The party maintained that even if such an order existed, it would still be null and void given the clear and binding pronouncement of the Supreme Court affirming Senator Usman’s leadership. It accused Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu of “meddlesomeness, partisanship, and reckless disregard for the rule of law.”
Describing the incident as “a judicial heist and a new low in INEC’s history,” the Labour Party called for Agbamuche-Mbu’s immediate arrest and prosecution “for complicity in the criminal forgery of a court order.”
“This shameful episode exposes Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu as a clear danger to Nigeria’s democracy. “She must be arrested and prosecuted for acting as an accessory in a crime against the Nigerian people” LP said.
The party also directed its members nationwide to begin peaceful mobilisation for the occupation of INEC Headquarters until the Acting Chair is removed and INEC fully complies with the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming Senator Nenadi Usman’s leadership.
“As the incoming substantive INEC Chairman prepares to assume office, we urge him to urgently address this grave injustice and purge the Commission of the elements of destabilisation led by Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu and her co-conspirators,” the statement concluded.
