...Abure-Led LP Group Protests At INEC HQ
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has confirmed that the Labour Party will not participate in the upcoming National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, scheduled for next week.
According to INEC, a total of nine political parties successfully submitted candidates for the elections, which will fill vacant seats in the Edo Central Senatorial District and the Ovia Federal Constituency. The vacancies arose following the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa as governor and deputy governor, respectively.
Speaking at a press briefing in Benin City, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Edo State, Prof Anugbum Onuoha, clarified that the Labour Party did not officially notify the commission of its intention to contest the elections, nor was its primary monitored by INEC.
“From our records, the Labour Party and some other parties neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with the necessary procedures. In some cases, we arrived at venues, but the locations were shut, and no activity took place,” Onuoha explained.
This clarification comes despite earlier claims by the Labour Party that Paul Okojie had been nominated as its candidate for the Edo Central senatorial seat.
The nine political parties cleared to participate in the by-elections include Action Alliance, AA; African Democratic Congress, ADC; All Progressives Congress, APC; Allied Peoples Movement, APM; Action Peoples Party, APP; Action Democratic Party, ADP; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.
Onuoha assured residents of the commission’s readiness to conduct a free, fair and credible election, stating that non-sensitive election materials have already been deployed, and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, has been fully configured.
He also revealed that, of the 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas where the by-elections will take place, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, remain uncollected.
Addressing calls from the PDP for his redeployment, the Edo REC dismissed the concerns and urged the media to support INEC in ensuring a credible process.
“Even if your relative is appointed to INEC, he cannot compromise the system. The structure of the commission makes that impossible,” he said.
Meanwhile, members of the Julius Abure-led group of the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday protested at the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja against the omission of its candidates’ names for the upcoming elections.
The protesters demonstrated against INEC’s decision not to publish the names of LP candidates submitted by the Abure group for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and some upcoming National Assembly bye-elections.
Chanting slogans and waving placards with different inscriptions, the protesters marched around the INEC premises under the watch of security operatives.
Some of the placards read, “INEC should respect the rule of law,” “Supreme Court judgement favours Julius Abure,” “Caretaker committee is not a political party,” “Stop killing democracy in Nigeria,” and “INEC should not kill the greatest opposition party in Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Labour Party, in a statement on Tuesday, distanced itself from the protest, warning that the action was neither authorised nor recognised by the legitimate organs of the party.
In a statement signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to the Interim National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, the party described the protesters as “impostors” and “political impersonators.”
“The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to an invitation circulating in certain quarters regarding a purported protest scheduled to be held on 6th August 2025 at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” the statement read.
“This protest is allegedly being organised by some unknown individuals purportedly operating under the banner of the Labour Party. We wish to categorically state that the said protest is not sanctioned by the Labour Party. The organisers are unknown to the party’s leadership, and the action lacks the approval and backing of the party.”
The party referenced INEC’s recent rejection of a list of candidates submitted by Julius Abure and his group, describing the submission as illegitimate.
It further urged INEC to act in line with the Supreme Court judgement of 4th April 2025, which affirmed that Abure’s tenure as party chairman expired on 8th June 2023.
The Labour Party has been mired in a protracted leadership tussle, which escalated in July when the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by Governor Alex Otti, appointed Usman as Interim National Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary.
The NEC also constituted an interim working committee to steer party affairs pending a national convention and approved a schedule for ward, local government, state, and zonal congresses.
However, Kennedy Ahanotu, National Youth Leader and a key figure in the Abure-led faction, rejected the appointments, calling them “unconstitutional” and insisting that Julius Abure remains the party’s authentic national chairman, citing the Labour Party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
With the 2027 general elections on the horizon, the ongoing division, particularly between the Abure-led bloc and the group aligned with Peter Obi, Nenadi, and Governor Otti, continues to cast uncertainty over the Labour Party’s unity and electoral readiness.
