The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has offered a clear explanation for its decision to withhold the access codes required by the Labour Party (LP) to upload the names of its candidates for the February 21, 2026 Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, a move that has sparked protests from supporters of the party.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Mrs Victoria Ewa-Messi, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, said the commission’s action was rooted in ongoing leadership disputes within the Labour Party, which she noted had led to a multiplicity of court cases challenging the party’s internal authority.
According to INEC, the situation has created uncertainty about who is legitimately authorised to act on behalf of the political organisation. Mrs Ewa-Messi stressed that, as a result, the commission could not grant access codes to upload candidates’ names, an essential step in finalising the lists of participants in the upcoming polls.
Supporters of the Labour Party, visibly angered by the exclusion of their candidates, had on Monday staged a protest at the INEC headquarters in Abuja. Demonstrators accused the electoral body of unfairly blocking the party from participating in the FCT elections and demanded the immediate issuance of access codes.
In statements during the demonstration, some party members described INEC’s refusal as unconstitutional and insisted a valid court order existed demanding that the party’s candidates be included on the ballot.
INEC’s official response stressed that the matter was subjudice, actively before the courts, and therefore beyond the commission’s discretion to act on unilaterally.
The commission referenced a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, which held that the tenure of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee under Julius Abure had expired, a ruling it says complicates the status of primaries and candidate submissions conducted by that faction.
“As a result of this ongoing crisis, the Abure-led faction purportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025 bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council Election,” the statement said.
INEC further noted that while a High Court in Abuja had issued an interim ex parte order on December 16, 2025, directing the commission to upload the Labour Party’s candidates, that order expired after seven days and was not renewed. “The interim order consequently lapsed on 23rd December, 2025 and was not extended. Accordingly, there is presently no subsisting court order for INEC to act upon,” the commission said.
INEC stated that it remained committed to respecting the judicial process and would withhold action until a final, binding court determination clarifies the lawful representatives of the Labour Party and the legitimacy of the candidates it seeks to field.
The Commission’s explanation comes against the backdrop of continued legal tussles over candidate lists and internal party authority, with courts across several jurisdictions having been asked to intervene in FCT election preparations.
As the February 2026 Area Council elections approach, the dispute highlights broader questions about political party governance, judicial intervention in electoral matters, and the role of the electoral umpire in navigating internal party conflicts while maintaining credible election processes.
