Labour Party Tackles INEC Over By-Election Exclusion

The Labour Party has taken issue with the Independent National Electoral Commission over the removal of its candidates from the list of those qualified to participate in the upcoming Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and the August 16 by-elections scheduled across 12 states.

The party, led by Julius Abure, says the electoral commission has no legal basis to exclude its candidates from the race. It describes the action as unlawful and a misuse of authority, warning that the move could be challenged in court if not reversed quickly. Party spokesman Obiora Ifoh said Labour is aware of its rights to sponsor candidates and insists INEC has no powers to deny it participation in any election where it has followed due process.

INEC, however, appears to be acting on a Supreme Court judgment delivered in April 2025, which addressed the internal leadership crisis within the party. The commission has interpreted that decision as stripping Abure’s faction of the authority to submit names of candidates for any election. This has led to the complete removal of candidates linked to Abure’s team from the official list.

Former Labour Party National Treasurer Oluchi Oparah has applauded INEC’s decision, calling it a firm step in protecting electoral integrity. She argues that Abure’s tenure as national chairman ended in June 2023 and that none of the party primaries conducted by his faction were monitored by INEC, making the process invalid in the eyes of the law.

INEC’s final candidate list reportedly excludes every name submitted by the Abure camp, a move Oparah says reinforces legal and constitutional standards. She also points out that INEC acted within its mandate by recognising only those candidates that emerged from lawfully conducted and monitored primaries.

The Labour Party, however, maintains that the Supreme Court judgment did not rule on the leadership of the party and only declined to intervene in what it called internal party matters. It insists INEC has no power to interfere in such issues and cannot substitute its interpretation for that of the court.

The Abure-led faction is demanding immediate inclusion of its candidates and has vowed to pursue every legal option to resist what it sees as an attempt to undermine its standing. The development has deepened the ongoing leadership tussle within the party, just as election preparations intensify nationwide.