Nenadi Usman emerges substantive LP national chairman

Extends olive branch to aggrieved members

Gov Otti charges Usman-led NWC to reconcile aggrieved members

Senator Nenadi Usman has emerged the National Chairman of Labour Party (LP).

Usman, the immediate past Interim National Chairman of LP, was elected through consensus, at the party’s 2026 Elective National Convention held in Umuahia on Tuesday.

In her remarks, she extended an olive branch to aggrieved members, calling for reconciliation and unity after months of internal disputes in the party.

“Despite these challenges, we hold no grudges. We have extended the hands of fellowship to all because the party remains supreme.

“Leaders will come and go but Labour Party must endure,” she said.

Usman acknowledged that the party had faced leadership tussles and legal battles over the past 19 months, emphasising, however, that the crises had strengthened its resolve.

“Our journey has not been without challenges; from leadership disputes to legal battles; we remained steadfast.

“The Supreme Court and judgments judgments had affirmed our leadership, and INEC’s recognition further strengthened our legitimacy,” she said.

Usman urged delegates to focus on the party’s future as they elect new leaders, stressing that unity was critical to its electoral success.

The former Interim National Secretary of the party, Sen. Darlington Nwokocha, said that the transitional LP leadership stabilised the party and positioned it for future electoral success.

Nwokocha said that the party had successfully overcome a prolonged leadership and constitutional crisis that had threatened its unity and operations.

He noted that the constitution of the interim national working committee in September 2024 helped to fill the leadership vacuum and restore order within the party.

Nwokocha added that the committee brought together key stakeholders and repositioned the party for effective governance.

He also highlighted judicial victories recorded by the party, including favourable rulings by the Supreme Court in April 2025, as well as subsequent decisions of the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal in April 2026.

He said that the rulings restored legality, legitimacy and institutional authority to the party’s structures.

According to him, the party has rebuilt its structures across the country and strengthened its internal processes in line with its constitution.

In his speech, the Chairman of the Convention Planning Committee, Chief Ginger Onwusibe, called for unity, transparency and a sense of responsibility among delegates at the party’s national convention.

Onwusibe said that the convention was a critical moment for strengthening internal democracy and repositioning the party for greater national relevance.

He noted that the processes leading to the convention were deliberate and structured, including the successful conduct of ward, local government and state congresses across the country.

In his remarks, the President of Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Festus Osifo, said that the convention marked a defining moment for both the party and Nigeria’s broader struggle for social and economic justice.

Osifo, represented by Dr Nuhu Toro,  highlighted the harsh realities facing Nigerian workers, including rising inflation and declining purchasing power, calling for a disciplined and ideologically-driven political platform.

Similarly, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Mr Joe Ajaero, described the gathering as a critical point in the fight for economic liberation.

Ajaero, represented by Mr Stephen Okoro,  stressed that the party was built on the sacrifices of ordinary Nigerians and must not be reduced to an elite platform.

While acknowledging internal challenges, he, however, urged party members to remain steadfast, noting that success in the 2027 general elections would depend on organisation, mobilisation and voter education.

Also speaking, the acting Chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Mr Lawson Osagie, called on incoming leaders to prioritise unity and institutional stability.

Osagie, who described the event as a milestone in his two decades in the party, urged the new leadership to “put the house in order” and build a cohesive structure capable of sustaining long-term progress.

Meanwhile, Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and National Leader of the Labour Party (LP), has charged the new National Working Committee (NWC) to initiate steps towards reconciling all the aggrieved members of the party.

Otti gave the charge on Tuesday in Umuahia, during the inauguration of the Nenadi Usman-led NWC.

He pleaded with the aggrieved members to “have a godly heart that would listen and reason with the party’s NWC as it reaches out to them”.

He emphasised the need to reconcile all the aggrieved members “because elections, which is a game of numbers, would soon start”.

The governor opined that any party that dispersed its members would be shooting itself in the foot and hindering its progress during elections.

He expressed the confidence in the national chairman’s integrity and accountability as a former banker, promising that the party would support her fully.

He thanked the Independent National Electoral Commission and Abia LP for making the convention a huge success.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). reports that in her post-election speech, the party’s National Chairman, Sen. Nenadi Usman, promised that her team would not dash the expectations of the LP members, who elected them to serve.

She said that having been found worthy to do a job that Nigerians give men to do, she would be the man for LP and would not disappoint them.

She, therefore, solicited the maximum cooperation of all the party members, saying that the job of building a healthy party the LP was expected to be “cannot be a one man’s job”.

In a speech presented on behalf of the other elected officers, the National Secretary of the party, Iheanacho Obioma, thanked the party for the confidence reposed in them to handle its affairs for four years.

He said that the theme of the convention was “Labour Party Rising, United for Victory”.

The former House of Representatives member thanked God for honouring the party with peace, fair weather and a successful convention.

He expressed appreciation to Nigerians from all walks of life for their immense contributions towards LP’s progress.

He also thanked the convention’s organising committee, led by Rep. Ginger Onwusibe, and the former interim NWC for laying the foundation that made the convention possible and successful.

He promised that the new NWC would build the party and position it for greater victories ahead.

Meanwhile, NAN further reports that the party lifted the suspension slammed on 26 members, including Hilda Dokubo, who was elected the National Women Leader.