The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified that Labour Party candidates were excluded from the 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council election due to prolonged internal leadership disputes within the party, upheld by court judgments, and the absence of any subsisting court order.
The commission explained that the crisis culminated in a Supreme Court judgment declaring that the tenure of the Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired. Subsequent attempts by the faction to conduct primaries and compel INEC to grant access codes through multiple court actions were unsuccessful, with no valid court order currently in force directing the commission to accept the party’s nominations.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Ewa-Messi, said INEC’s decision was guided strictly by existing court rulings and the need to uphold the rule of law, emphasizing that the commission cannot recognise or process candidates submitted by any faction not legally recognised as the party’s leadership.
She noted that while the party had approached several courts seeking orders to compel INEC to issue access codes for uploading candidates, the only interim order obtained had lapsed and was not renewed.
Ewa-Messi added that, with the matter still before the courts, the commission would continue to respect the judicial process and await the final determination of the pending cases.
According to the statement, “On Monday, 5th January, 2026 some supporters of the Labour Party protested at the INEC Headquarters, Abuja complaining about the exclusion of their candidates for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election scheduled for Saturday, 21st February, 2026 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and demanded for the issuance of access code to upload its candidates for the election.
“In response, the Commission wishes to state that the Labour Party has been enmeshed in prolonged internal leadership disputes since 2024, which culminated in the judgment of the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party) delivered on 4th April 2025.
“In that decision, the Apex Court unequivocally held that the tenure of the Barr. Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired. Despite this clear pronouncement, the Abure-led faction purportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council Election.
“It is also pertinent to recall that the Abure-led faction instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1523/2025– Labour Party v. INEC at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging the decision of INEC excluding it from participating in the bye-election. Judgment was delivered on 15th August, 2025, dismissing the suit and enforcing the Supreme Court’s position that Barr. Julius Abure was no longer recognised as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and thus upholding the decision of INEC to exclude the Labour Party from the bye-election.”
