Members of the Julius Abure-led group of the Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday protested at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja.
They were protesting 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, the protesters marched around the INEC premises under security watch.
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.”_
Labour Party Leadership Disowns Protest
The Labour Party leadership distanced itself from the protest in a statement on Tuesday.
Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman, called the protesters _““impostors”_ and _““political impersonators.”_
The statement read, 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 Labour Party urged INEC to act according to the Supreme Court judgement of April 4, 2025, which affirmed Abure’s tenure as party chairman expired on June 8, 2023.
Ongoing Leadership Tussle
The Labour Party has been dealing with a leadership crisis. In July, the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by Governor Alex Otti, appointed Usman as Interim National Chairman.
However, Kennedy Ahanotu of the Abure-led faction rejected these appointments as unconstitutional
With the 2027 general elections approaching, the division between the Abure-led bloc and the group aligned with Peter Obi, Nenadi, and Governor Otti casts uncertainty over the Labour Party’s unity and electoral readiness.
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