LP Fixes April 28 Presidential Primary
The Labour Party has formally notified the Independent National Electoral Commission of a revised schedule of internal activities, fixing its presidential primary for April 28 and outlining a sequence of congresses across ward, local government, and state levels in the days leading up to it.
The notification was contained in a letter signed by the party’s Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, and made available to journalists in Abuja on Friday. The letter cited Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended), the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, and Sections 223(1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), as the legal basis for the notice.
Under the revised timetable, ward congresses will hold on April 23, local government area congresses on April 24, and state congresses on April 25. The national convention, which will serve as the climax of the internal electoral process, is scheduled for April 28 at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia, Abia State, where the party is also expected to conduct its presidential primary.
Usman explained that the fresh timetable followed an earlier postponement of the party’s activities, which had already been communicated to and acknowledged by INEC. According to her, the adjustment became necessary to allow broader participation of members, especially to enable the completion of the party’s ongoing digital membership registration exercise.
“The Commission may kindly recall that the Party, in an earlier correspondence duly acknowledged, notified the Commission of the postponement of its previously scheduled activities to enable broader participation of members. Particularly, to allow for the completion of the ongoing digital membership registration process,” she stated in the letter.
She also urged INEC to notify its offices across the country to ensure effective monitoring of the congresses and convention in line with the commission’s constitutional and statutory responsibilities.
The development comes amid a prolonged leadership crisis within the Labour Party. INEC currently recognises the Senator Nenadi Usman-led faction following a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, which affirmed her leadership after the commission had earlier withdrawn recognition of the Julius Abure-led faction on the grounds that Abure’s tenure had expired in June 2024.
A Federal High Court judgment had also affirmed Usman’s position as Interim National Chairman, while the party’s National Executive Council subsequently passed a vote of confidence in her leadership and the Interim National Working Committee.
The latest notice to INEC appears to supersede the party’s earlier schedule, under which the presidential primary had been fixed for May 23, while governorship and legislative primaries were expected to hold on May 15.
Usman reaffirmed the party’s commitment to democratic procedures, assuring the commission of its readiness to conduct the exercises in an orderly and transparent manner.