Members of the Labour Party (LP) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) staged a protest on Monday at the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), demanding the inclusion of their candidates in the upcoming Area Council elections in Abuja, scheduled for February 21.
The protesters described the exclusion as a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise the party, despite a subsisting court order in its favour.
They vowed to occupy INEC’s premises until the commission complied with the order.
But addressing the protesters, INEC National Commissioner Abdullahi Abdul Zuru acknowledged the challenges posed by “conflicting court orders” but assured them that the commission would act in accordance with the law.
“I am here on behalf of the commission to speak to you regarding the court order you have presented. I will personally hand it over to the chairman, and the commission will definitely act on it,” he said.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “INEC, Upload Labour Party Candidates”, “Obey Court Order”, and “No Labour Party in the Ballot, No Council Election in FCT.”
The Publicity Secretary of LP in FCT, Eyisi Okey Nwoke, during the protest, insisted that Julius Abure is the recognised national chairman of the Labour Party.
He said, “We are here on a peaceful protest. We are members of the Labour Party in FCT. We are here because INEC, which is supposed to be independent conductors of election has decided to exclude the Labour Party from the February Area Council elections.
“The genesis of this conspiracy is 2023, when we denied other political parties from making up to 25% in the FCT. And it’s a constitutional requirement for somebody to be declared President. But that was overturned. If not, our candidate in 2023 election would have been the President.
“So this is a conspiracy concocted to ensure that our popularity will no longer come to play. But they are lying. They are living in delusion because Labour Party must participate in this Area Council election and nobody will stop our candidates.
“How can INEC become lawless? They don’t obey court orders. There is a court order that they must upload the Labour Party on the ballot. They have not done so to date. So, we are demanding that INEC must upload candidates of Labour Party now. We have available to us instruments of the law.
“We are law-abiding. We are a peaceful party. The people of FCT, are followers of Labour Party. So we must be uploaded. The people are asking INEC to obey court order and upload candidates of Labour Party now.”
Nwoke said the crisis in LP was also contrived by detractors to support a gang of wanderers.
“They want to wander into Labour Party. To spoil our party and we resisted it and chased them out. So we don’t have factions. They know that in the FCT, it is Labour Party. Nothing for any political party. It’s Labour Party. That is why they have ganged up.”
The Chairman of LP in the North Central Zone, Princess Licia Igbe, said INEC must comply with the court order.
She said, “We are actually not causing any uproar, we are Nigerians and we are civilised people. We are here on a civil protest which is our right constitutionally to the INEC. We are demanding what is due to us as members of the Labour Party in the FCT.
“We are here demanding that we should be uploaded because we have a court order concerning the FCT elections coming up on February 21, 2026 and Labour Party candidates are not on the ballot. In fact, they are not uploaded and we don’t know the reason why INEC should disenfranchise Labour Party.
“We are Nigerians, INEC cannot kill our democracy. We have the right to vote, everybody have a choice of a political party, nobody has the right to stop anyone from the party they want to belong to.
“So, please we want INEC to do right thing. Let them work with integrity so that we can have hope and belief and trust in them for the 2027 general election.”
The Spokesperson of the LP in the FCT said as a commission, INEC has never disregarded or disobeyed any court order.
Nwoke said, “We will always obey court order and that is why more often than not you see on our portals compliance with court orders.
“Some of the challenges you normally have been due to conflicting court orders. Those are what normally creates problems. When you have conflicting court orders you just have to act on the prevailing court order.
“But it’s not a decision that I can make as an individual. It’s not a decision the chairman makes as an individual. It’s a decision that the commission makes as a body.
“So when we meet as a commission, the commission will be briefed by the appropriate members of the commission. I can’t give you a date because giving you a date means that I am committing the commission. I’m a National Commissioner. I’m not the Chairman. Even the Chairman, the way we operate, the Chairman will not take a unilateral decision on this.”
