The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified its refusal to grant candidate upload access codes to a Labour Party faction in the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council Election on February 21, 2026.
This explanation comes after a recent demonstration by party supporters at the commission’s Abuja headquarters over candidate exclusion.
In an official statement signed by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Eta-Messi, INEC directly attributes the issue to the Labour Party’s unresolved internal leadership crisis.
The commission cited a Supreme Court decision dated April 4, 2025, which declared that the tenure of the National Executive Committee led by Barr. Julius Abure had expired and was now officially unrecognised.
Despite the Supreme Court ruling, INEC explained that the Abure-led faction continued to hold primaries for the FCT elections. This prompted a legal action in which the group contested its exclusion from a 2025 byelection.
The case was dismissed by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which upheld the Supreme Court’s decision on the party’s leadership.
The commission also revealed that the same faction has filed numerous additional lawsuits in various courts, including the Nasarawa State High Court and the FCT High Court. These suits all seek orders directing INEC to issue the necessary access codes, with one key application still pending before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
INEC’s statement concludes that its decision is firmly anchored in the Supreme Court’s ruling on the party’s legitimate leadership. The commission maintains that its actions are legal, pending the outcome of the faction’s ongoing court cases.
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