- INEC’s exclusion of LP candidates triggered protests, intensifying divisions and drawing attention to ongoing leadership disputes within the party.
- Nenadi Usman’s faction praised the commission for recognising legitimate leadership and upholding procedural correctness.
Peter Obi, 2023 presidential candidate of the labour party (LP), has called on his supporters to vote for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the upcoming by-elections.
Posting on his X page on Thursday, Obi explained that the LP currently has no candidates recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) due to an internal leadership dispute.
“On the 16th of August 2025, Nigerians will go to the polling units again for the by-elections,” Obi wrote.
“This is expected to take place in 16 states of the federation, covering 2 senatorial, 5 federal house of representatives and 9 state assembly seats.
“Kindly note that the Labour Party has no candidates recognised by INEC due to the internal crisis.
“I humbly urge every member of the Obidient and COPDEM families to go out and vote for the coalition political party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in their respective states.
“The struggle for Nigeria has started.”
INEC excluded LP candidates’ names from the ballot on August 2, prompting a protest march to its Abuja headquarters last week.
The affected candidates emerged from primaries conducted by the Abure-led national working committee (NWC) amid ongoing party disputes.
On August 5, the Nenadi Usman-led LP faction welcomed INEC’s decision, describing it as a relief and a step toward recognising the lawful party leadership.
Obiora Ifoh, national publicity secretary of the Abure faction, warned on August 12 that the election could be nullified if the excluded candidates were not reinstated.
He stressed that the Electoral Act 2022 allows parties excluded from an election to seek judicial redress.
Ifoh also accused INEC of acting in ways that undermine democracy and waste public funds.
Since the 2023 general elections, the LP has remained fractured, with factions contesting control and legitimacy over the party’s activities.