A factional national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, has directed aspirants seeking the party’s tickets for  elective positions in the 2027 general elections to obtain nomination forms for free online and via its social media platforms. 

Mr Abure, at a press conference in Abuja on Monday, assured that despite ongoing legal challenges, his faction would be on the ballot in 2027, and urged aspirants to download the forms, fill them and submit to the chairmen of their various state chapters.

He said, “In any event, Labour Party under our leadership will participate fully in the 2027 elections. Our forms are available and aspirants have been picking forms. All our forms can be accessed in all the Labour Party social and online platforms, for free. Just download, fill them and submit to our state chairmen across the nation.

“While our governorship and state Houses of Assembly primaries will hold on Wednesday May 27th 2026, the House of Representatives and the Senate primaries will hold on Friday May 29th, 2026. All exercises will be through direct primaries which will take place at the local government headquarters of the party. A presidential candidate will emerge through a consensus arrangement on Friday May 29th, 2026 in a presidential primaries which will hold in Abuja.

“You are aware that for anyone to participate in a pre-election matter, you must have participated in all the processes leading to the primaries including buying of nomination forms and observation all INEC regulations. As a result, we have encouraged all our members across the country who have interest in running for elective offices to pick up the necessary form for free so that they can participate and be part of the process.”

He explained that their “Free Form Initiative” is in line with the party’s philosophy and ideology, to make partisan politics easy and affordable for those who have the capacity to win elections but may not have enough funds to deploy into the contest,” adding that, “This will not be the first time that the Labour Party will be doing it. We did it in the 2022/23 general election and that was why Okada riders and palm kernel crushers won seats in the National Assembly.”

“Also, Nigerians will recall that January this year, we had announced that our forms should be issued free of charge for those who will attend our mentorship programs. A party like the Labour Party should not charge an exorbitant price for their forms. We are shocked that Nenadi Usman and her fellow usurpers are strangulating aspirants with high fees. Though they are strangers to the Labour Party, we expect them to go back and learn the philosophy and ideology of the Labour Party,” he added.

Reiterating that all actions by the Usman faction are illegal, and will soon be null and void, Mr Abure urged his members to participate in the exercise and produce their candidates across the country,.

“We have therefore chosen to ensure through our Free forms initiative, to enfranchise them to participate in the coming general election and the result has been massive and encouraging,” he said.

He stated that he had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the April 21 dismissal of his appeal by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, which upheld the January 21 judgement by Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ousting him as the party’s national chairman and affirming Nenadi Usman.

He insisted that his faction remained the authentic party, after emerging through the national convention on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi, Anambra State, with all the reports from the exercise, submitted to, and accepted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but wondered why the electoral body, in August 2024, declared that the tenure of his executive had expired. 

“Because of the injustice involved and because our action will enhance the legal jurisprudence in Nigeria, we want to see what the Supreme Court will say in line with what was said before and now. This is what has given us the courage to say that we are going to the Supreme Court,” he noted.

Mr Abure also stated that his faction did not give or receive any financial request during their meeting with Abia State governor, Alex Otti, explaining that it was purely reconciliatory, but it was not fruitful, because he refused to accept their terms and kept insisting that his faction be dissolved.

He said the terms included, “One, to share the positions in the national working committee; Two, to take his governorship ticket and produce all the state House of Assembly candidates including all the candidates for House of Representatives and Senate in Abia state; and Three, to produce any other governorship, House of Representatives and senatorial candidates in other states where he might have interest. 

“We further conceded the offices of the national secretary and other key national offices. But with all these sacrifices from the leadership, the governor declined all the proposals and insisted that already all positions in the NWC have been filled, by him. While offering to us the vice chairman and secretary of the board of trustees.

“At no time was the issue of money discussed. Nobody made any financial requests and nobody offered any money to anyone. We are therefore calling on all party members and supporters to disregard those fake news which sources are not too difficult to decipher.”