The Labour Party crisis has deepened as Nenadi Usman-led caretaker committee accusing former national chairman Julius Abure of staging a late-night raid on the party’s national secretariat.
Just days after taking over the Utako headquarters in compliance with a Federal High Court ruling, the caretaker committee alleged that Abure stormed the premises on Tuesday night with security personnel and loyalists, carting away sensitive party files.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Usman did not hold back, describing the incident as “uncivilised”.
“On Tuesday night, right up to the early hours of Wednesday, this incident took place. We had earlier held a successful ceremony and left the premises, only to be informed that hoodlums later broke into the offices and carted away documents.
“I discovered that several documents were missing from the office. When we first took over, I saw many files, but they have now disappeared. It will take time to determine exactly what was taken, but it is a very sad development.”
Reports claim Abure arrived at about 8:30pm with former executive members and security operatives, allegedly forced entry into the building, and ransacked offices in search of documents.
A security officer at the secretariat, Aminu Salusi, backed the allegation.
“It happened around 8:30pm on Tuesday. They demanded the keys, and when I refused, they forced their way in and began removing files and vandalising offices,” he said.
The political showdown follows a court judgment that recognised Usman as head of a 29-member caretaker committee and directed INEC to acknowledge her leadership — a move that effectively ended Abure’s tenure.
Usman warned that the alleged removal of documents threatens institutional integrity.
“Every institution must be respected because there must be institutional memory. When you work in an office, ministry, or political party, every document belongs to that institution. When it is time to leave, you leave the documents behind so successors can build on what has been done.
“For anyone to return at night to remove documents is deeply troubling,” she said.
Amid the chaos, Usman also addressed reports of Peter Obi’s alleged defection to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), insisting the party is bigger than any one individual.
“Peter Obi is just one person. God has not endowed only one individual with all abilities. Each person has their own strengths, and leadership can emerge at the appropriate time,” she said.
With accusations flying, court orders in play, and rival camps digging in, the Labour Party’s internal war is far from over — and the battle for control appears to be escalating by the day.
