By Ahmed Akanbi

The Julius Abure faction of the Labour Party, LP, has launched a fresh attack on the judiciary, accusing Federal High Court Judge, Justice Peter Lifu, of compromising democratic standards in handling the party’s protracted leadership crisis.

In a statement released Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, LP described itself as the “worst hit” by what it called a miscarriage of justice, alleging that Justice Lifu ignored established legal principles in a suit over the party’s leadership.

The outburst comes after Justice Lifu reportedly ordered the deregistration of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and five other political parties.

LP said the judge’s handling of a suit by Senator Nenadi Usman against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, challenging the party’s March 2024 national convention, exposed a pattern of bias.

According to Ifoh, an earlier case on the same issue was assigned to Justice James Kolawole Omotosho and later withdrawn. A fresh suit with identical parties and issues was then reassigned to Justice Lifu, a development LP said it found suspicious.

He claimed that in November 2025, Justice Lifu refused LP’s request for an adjournment to respond to issues raised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and insisted the matter proceed immediately.

“That amounted to a violation of the principle of fair hearing.

“He was acting like a man in a hurry to conclude a task. There was no reason for him not to have allowed us to respond to the claims,” Ifoh stated

The party alleged that the eventual judgment favoured Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Senator Nenadi Usman, whom it accused of plotting to take control of LP’s leadership structure.

Ifoh said Governor Otti had publicly predicted victory before the ruling, and that supporters of his camp celebrated ahead of the judgment, raising questions about the integrity of the process.

LP argued the decision contradicted settled legal doctrines, including the principle that party leadership disputes are internal affairs, and that lower courts cannot interpret or enforce Supreme Court pronouncements.

Though the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment, Ifoh said the party remains confident the Supreme Court will reverse it.

“We believe that the Supreme Court will do justice to the matter and do the right thing, being the final court of redress,” the statement said.

The party warned that continued judicial intervention in political party disputes poses a threat to Nigeria’s democracy, rule of law and constitutional governance.

“Our democracy, party politics, the rule of law, our constitution and the Electoral Act are under serious threat,” Ifoh said.

He urged Supreme Court justices to “safeguard democratic institutions from a dangerous erosion of legal standards.”