The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained its decision to deny the Labour Party access codes to upload names of its candidates for the February 21, 2026, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections, citing the party’s unresolved leadership crisis and ongoing court cases.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Ewa-Messi, INEC said the Labour Party remains entangled in protracted internal disputes that have spilled into the courts, making it impossible for the Commission to act.
The clarification followed a protest by Labour Party supporters at INEC’s headquarters in Abuja, where demonstrators accused the Commission of deliberately excluding the party from the forthcoming council polls and demanded the release of access codes required to upload candidates’ details.
INEC dismissed the protest as unnecessary, noting that the matter is already before the courts and therefore sub judice.
“The issues surrounding the leadership of the Labour Party are currently the subject of multiple court cases, and the Commission cannot take actions that may prejudice ongoing judicial proceedings,” the statement said.
The electoral body recalled that the leadership crisis culminated in a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, which ruled that the tenure of the National Executive Committee led by Julius Abure had expired.
According to INEC, “Despite this clear pronouncement of the Supreme Court, the Abure-led faction purportedly went ahead to conduct primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-elections nationwide, including the FCT Area Council elections.”
INEC further disclosed that several suits filed by the Labour Party seeking to compel the Commission to issue access codes had either been dismissed by the courts or are still pending.
Addressing claims that a court order directed INEC to upload the party’s candidates, the Commission clarified that an interim ex parte order issued by a High Court in Abuja on December 16, 2025, had since expired.
“The interim order lapsed after seven days, on December 23, 2025, and was not renewed. Consequently, there is currently no valid court order directing INEC to upload Labour Party candidates,” the Commission stated.
INEC maintained that it would continue to respect the rule of law, adding that it would only act based on a clear and subsisting court directive.
The development has further complicated preparations for the FCT Area Council elections, especially as the Labour Party was excluded from the final list of candidates released by INEC in September 2025.
The party was the only one among the 16 registered political parties without any cleared candidate on the ballot, a situation linked to the unresolved leadership tussle between factions loyal to Julius Abure and Nenadi Usman.
The Usman faction is reportedly backed by former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor, Alex Otti.
