The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has dismissed claims that it unjustly denied the Labour Party access codes to upload candidates for the 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for Saturday, 21 February 2026.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, INEC was reacting to a protest staged by some Labour Party supporters at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 5 January 2026. The protesters alleged that INEC excluded their party’s candidates from the election and demanded the immediate issuance of access codes.
INEC explained that the Labour Party has been embroiled in protracted internal leadership disputes since 2024, which were conclusively addressed by the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party) delivered on 4 April 2025. According to the Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that the tenure of the Barrister Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.
Despite the apex court’s decision, INEC stated that the Abure-led faction went ahead to conduct primaries for the August 16, 2025 bye-elections and the forthcoming FCT Area Council elections. This action, the Commission noted, was contrary to the subsisting legal position.
INEC further recalled that the Abure-led faction had earlier approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1523/2025, challenging its exclusion from the 2025 bye-elections. The court, in its judgment delivered on 15 August 2025, dismissed the suit and upheld INEC’s position, reaffirming that Barr. Julius Abure was no longer recognised as the National Chairman of the Labour Party.
Following that judgment, the Labour Party instituted multiple suits in different courts seeking orders to compel INEC to issue access codes for the upload of its candidates for the FCT Area Council elections. These include cases at the Nasarawa State High Court, the Federal High Court Abuja, and the FCT High Court, Jabi Division, with some of the matters still pending.
INEC also disclosed that in a separate suit, No. CV/4930/2025, the FCT High Court sitting in Life Camp granted an interim ex parte order on 16 December 2025 directing the Commission to upload the names of Labour Party candidates. However, the court expressly stated that the order would lapse after seven days unless extended. INEC said the order expired on 23 December 2025 and was not renewed, leaving no subsisting court order compelling the Commission to act.
The Commission emphasized that the matter remains sub judice and assured the public that it will continue to respect the judicial process while awaiting the final determination of all pending cases.
INEC reiterated its commitment to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and its regulations and guidelines, stressing that political parties must adhere to democratic principles and the rule of law in the conduct of their internal affairs.
The statement was signed by Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, Director of Voter Education and Publicity, on 7 January 2026.
