Plateau Labour Party Crisis Deepens as Elected Executives Seek National Intervention
Jos, Plateau State — Fresh tension appears to be building within the Plateau State chapter of the Labour Party as members of what they describe as the elected State Executive Committee have petitioned the party’s national leadership over an alleged disruption of party activities in the state.
In a letter dated September 14, 2026, and addressed to the National Chairman of the Labour Party at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the group called for what it described as “immediate formal directives” to resolve the disagreement and ensure what it termed sustainable peace in the Plateau chapter.
The letter was signed by Hon. Noel Nyelong, State Secretary, and Desmond Umekwe Esq., State Legal Adviser, on behalf of the Labour Party elected State Executive Committee in Plateau State.
Executives challenge Grace Zamfara’s continued role
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At the centre of the complaint is former Plateau Labour Party chairperson Grace Zamfara, whom the signatories accuse of continuing to operate an old leadership structure despite the emergence of a new State Executive Committee.
The petitioners claimed that the State Executive Committee had been properly constituted and inaugurated in March 2026, but alleged that the structure had been disregarded by what they described as the “Grace Zamfara purported executive committee leadership.”
They further claimed that Zamfara’s eight-year tenure, which they said began in 2018, had expired in 2026 before the inauguration of the current executive committee.
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The signatories therefore called on the national leadership to issue clear directives to prevent what they described as further disruption of party activities in Plateau State.
Accusation of rejecting harmonisation
The petition also accused Zamfara of allegedly rejecting a proposed harmonisation arrangement initiated by the National Working Committee.
According to the letter, the situation has created competing structures within the party and could further affect the organisation of Labour Party activities in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The petitioners alleged that Zamfara had instead moved to establish what they described as her “old structure” of leadership.
Appeal to national leadership
The elected executives urged the national leadership to intervene and act on an earlier complaint dated May 7, 2026, saying further delay could deepen the disagreement.
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They specifically appealed to the National Working Committee to provide formal direction on the competing claims of leadership in Plateau State.
The group said such intervention was necessary to prevent what it described as setbacks that could affect the party’s preparations and objectives ahead of the 2027 elections.
A recurring leadership dispute
The latest disagreement comes against the background of previous leadership controversies involving the Plateau Labour Party and Grace Zamfara.
In 2022, party officials publicly passed a vote of confidence in Zamfara’s leadership, describing her as the recognised state chairperson at the time.
By January 2024, however, another Labour Party structure had emerged in Plateau, with Solomon Ndam announced as chairman following party congresses, while Zamfara’s leadership was also challenged.
The history indicates that disputes over the party’s state leadership are not entirely new.
What happens next?
The immediate issue now is whether the Labour Party’s national leadership will intervene and clarify which structure it recognises as the legitimate State Executive Committee in Plateau State.
As of the publication of this report, the letter reviewed by Headlineswave contains the position of the signatories. No response from Grace Zamfara or the Labour Party’s national leadership was contained in the documents provided for this report.
Headlineswave will update this story if the parties involved issue further statements or the national leadership gives a formal directive.
