- Abure faction accused INEC of aligning with anti-democratic forces and misusing taxpayers’ funds on flawed electoral processes.
- Nenadi Usman faction hailed INEC for rejecting Abure’s list, and demanded recognition of its “authentic” candidates.
The Julius Abure-led Labour Party (LP) has warned that the August 16 bye-election may be overturned if its candidates are excluded from the process.
INEC had, on August 2, released a list of contestants without LP’s nominees, sparking a protest at its Abuja headquarters last week.
Those omitted were winners of primaries conducted by the Abure-led national working committee amid the party’s ongoing leadership dispute.
In a Tuesday statement, factional national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, demanded that INEC restore the candidates’ names and place the party’s logo on the ballot.
He stressed that the Electoral Act 2022 empowers any political party sidelined from a poll to challenge the decision in court.
According to him, “The leadership of the Labour Party has advised that if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC goes ahead to conduct the August 16, 2025 bye-election without publishing the names of its candidates, and ensuring that its logo appears on the ballot, it will seek the nullification of the election in line with the provision of the law.”
He added, “The party has also called on well-meaning Nigerians to prevail on the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC to respect the Nigerian Constitution and the Electoral Law by discharging its duties as specified by the laws of the land and avoiding waste of taxpayers’ money.
“It accused INEC of working for interests that are anti-democratic and of wasting taxpayers’ money.”
The LP maintained that the commission was risking national resources on an exercise that could be invalidated.
“We will not be helpless, as the law provides adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that shortchanges a political party or damages its image,” the statement said.
The party further warned that it would not tolerate any attempt by an agency or regulator to damage its public image.
Ifoh also questioned whether the electoral body was acting to protect undisclosed interests by pressing ahead with an election vulnerable to annulment.
“One wonders what interest INEC is protecting that will make it throw the entire country into an unnecessary crisis and incur such a colossal financial waste,” he said.
The LP cited an April 4, 2025 Supreme Court ruling that described party leadership disputes as internal matters to be resolved through party mechanisms.
It recalled that a convention held on March 27, 2024, in Nnewi produced Julius Abure as the party’s current leader.
“INEC, under Prof. Yakubu, must respect the decisions of both the Supreme Court and the leadership of the Labour Party,” the statement read.
On August 5, the Nenadi Usman faction praised INEC for rejecting the list of candidates submitted by Abure’s team.
That faction described the move as a welcome relief and urged the commission to recognise and publish names submitted by what it called the lawful leadership.
Since the 2023 general election, LP has remained divided, with rival factions claiming legitimacy and control of party affairs.
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