The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has defended its decision to withhold access codes from the Labour Party (LP) that would allow the party to upload candidates for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, saying there is no valid court order compelling the electoral umpire to act.
In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said its refusal followed a prolonged internal leadership crisis within the Labour Party that has been the subject of multiple court cases. The crisis stems from a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, which ruled that the tenure of the Barr. Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.
INEC highlighted that, despite this apex court ruling, the Abure faction went ahead to conduct primaries for both the August 16, 2025 bye-election and the upcoming FCT polls, prompting legal challenges and conflicting court actions. The commission noted that one of the interim orders obtained by the Labour Party lapsed on December 23, 2025 and has not been renewed, leaving no subsisting court directive for INEC to issue the necessary access codes.
The electoral body stressed its commitment to respecting the rule of law and the ongoing judicial process. “Given that the matter is sub judice, INEC will continue to respect the sanctity of the judicial process and await the final determination of the pending cases,” the statement said, adding that its actions are guided by the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, and related regulations.
Tension over the exclusion has spilled into public protest. Earlier this week, supporters of the Labour Party demonstrated at INEC headquarters in Abuja, demanding the issuance of access codes after LP candidates were omitted from the commission’s published list for the FCT Area Council elections.
