…Cites Supreme Court Ruling and Ongoing Court Cases
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims by the Labour Party over alleged exclusion from the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, insisting that there is no valid court order compelling it to issue access codes for the upload of the party’s candidates.
INEC made this clarification in a statement signed by Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, following a protest by some Labour Party supporters at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, January 5, 2026.
The protesters accused INEC of deliberately excluding Labour Party candidates from the FCT Area Council election scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026, and demanded the immediate issuance of access codes to enable the party upload its candidates.
However, INEC said the claims were misleading, stressing that the Labour Party has been “enmeshed in prolonged internal leadership disputes since 2024,” which were conclusively determined by the Supreme Court.
According to the Commission, the apex court, in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party) delivered on April 4, 2025, “unequivocally held that the tenure of the Barr. Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.”
INEC noted that the Abure-led faction despise ruling “purportedly conducted primaries” for both the August 16, 2025 bye-elections and the forthcoming FCT Area Council elections.
The commission recalled that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja had earlier dismissed a suit filed by the Labour Party challenging its exclusion from the bye-elections, affirming that “Barr. Julius Abure was no longer recognised as the National Chairman of the Labour Party,” and upholding INEC’s decision.
INEC further disclosed that the Labour Party has since filed multiple suits in different courts, all seeking orders compelling the Commission to issue access codes for the FCT Area Council election.
“These suits include matters before the Nasarawa State High Court, the Federal High Court, Abuja, and two divisions of the FCT High Court,” .
On the controversial interim order granted by the FCT High Court, Life Camp Division, INEC clarified that although the court issued an ex parte order on December 16, 2025, directing the Commission to upload Labour Party candidates, the order “expressly stated that it would lapse after seven days unless extended.”
“The interim Order consequently lapsed on 23rd December, 2025 and was not extended. Accordingly, there is presently no subsisting Court Order for INEC to act upon,” the Commission stated.
INEC emphasized that since the matter is still before the courts, it would not take any action that could undermine the judicial process.
“Given that the matter is sub judice, INEC will continue to respect the sanctity of the judicial process and await the final determination of the pending cases,” the statement added.
The Commission reassured Nigerians of its commitment to the rule of law, noting that it remains guided by “the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as its Regulations and Guidelines.” The statement concluded.
