Olushola Omogbehin
Sequel to the omission of the names of the candidates of the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party from the list for the forthcoming bye elections nationwide, Civil society organizations and other sympathizers to the faction have staged a protest demanding the inclusion of the omitted names
This protest was staged on Wednesday at the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja under heavy security to avoid violence
The group among other things expressed anger over INEC decision not to publish candidates submitted by the Abure-led group for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and some National Assembly bye-elections.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “INEC should respect the rule of law,” “Supreme Court judgement favours Julius Abure,” and “INEC should not kill the greatest opposition party in Nigeria,” the protesters who marched around the commission’s premises with various solidarity songs demanded that justice should prevailed.
The recognized leadership of the Labour Party however, quickly separated itself from the protest, claiming that the action was not authorised by any legitimate organ of the party.
According to an earlier statement by Ken Eluma Asogwa, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to Interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman, the party described the protesters as “political impersonators” and “impostors.”
“The attention of the leadership of Labour Party has been drawn to an invitation circulating in certain quarters regarding a purported protest scheduled for August 6, 2025, at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“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.”
He urged the electoral commission to act in line with the Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, which declared that Abure’s tenure as Labour Party chairman expired on June 8, 2023.
Labour Party has been in a protracted leadership crisis which led to the party’s National Executive Committee, chaired by Governor Alex Otti to in July appointed Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairman.
