The Labour Party has launched a fresh attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing it of executing what it termed a “midnight coup against democracy” through the unlawful disqualification of all its candidates for the 16 August 2025 bye-elections.
The Julius Abure-led faction of the party expressed this frustration in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi on Wednesday, in which its condemned INEC’s decision as “a blatant violation of democratic principles” carried out “without due process, legal justification, or even the basic courtesy of official communication to our party.”
The Labour Party described the move as “a distressing indication of INEC’s descent into partisan manipulation” under the leadership of Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
The controversy stems from INEC’s publication of final candidate lists that excluded all Labour Party nominees, a decision the commission reportedly based on the Supreme Court’s 4 April 2025 judgment.
However, the Labour Party insists this interpretation is flawed, stating categorically: “The Supreme Court’s ruling did not, in any way, authorise INEC to invalidate candidates submitted by the Labour Party’s legitimate National Working Committee.”
“The judgment addressed internal party matters but did not strip the Abure-led leadership of its authority to conduct primaries or submit candidates,” the statement continued, adding that INEC’s action constitutes “not only legally unsound but a reckless abuse of power.”
The party warned that electoral umpires must act within the confines of the law, “not manufacture justifications to exclude opposition voices.”
A particularly contentious aspect of the dispute involves INEC’s communication method. The Labour Party expressed outrage that the disqualification was announced through a suspended party member whom it identified as “a known affiliate of a rival faction,” rather than through official INEC channels.
In a biting sarcastic tone, the statement said: “We congratulate both INEC and this individual,” before posing pointed questions: “Why was INEC’s official spokesperson sidelined? Why was a partisan figure given the platform to speak on INEC’s behalf?”
“This is not neutrality; it is collusion,” the party declared. “The silence of INEC’s leadership in the face of this irregularity speaks volumes about their complicity.”
The Labour Party framed the development as part of a broader pattern, alleging “a premeditated effort to weaken the Labour Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.”
It pointed to INEC’s refusal to monitor its primaries – only to later declare them invalid – as evidence of bad faith. The statement warned: “If INEC can arbitrarily decide which faction of a party it recognises, then no opposition is safe from politically motivated exclusion.”
In a stark warning about the implications for Nigeria’s democracy, the party said: “INEC has effectively appointed itself as an unelected gatekeeper of Nigeria’s democracy. This sets a perilous precedent: if INEC can sideline the Labour Party today, which party will be next?” It described the situation as representing “the dangerous erosion of electoral integrity” that could fundamentally undermine public trust in the electoral system.
The Labour Party has vowed to fight the decision through all available means, demanding that INEC “immediately reverse this unlawful decision and reinstate all Labour Party candidates.” It also called for “a full investigation into the circumstances that led to this blatant act of disenfranchisement,” asserting that “the Nigerian people deserve an electoral commission that upholds fairness, not one that operates under the influence of external political interests.”
In a defiant closing, the statement emphasised: “The right to contest elections is not a privilege granted at INEC’s discretionโit is a fundamental democratic right. We will not allow it to be stolen from us.”
The development marks a significant escalation in tensions between Nigeria’s main opposition party and the electoral body, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the country’s political landscape as it prepares for crucial elections in 2027.
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