Barr. Julius Abure Leads Labour Party Protest Against INEC Exclusion.
On Wednesday, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), Labour Party (LP) candidates, and supporters, led by Barr. Julius Abure, staged a peaceful protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Abuja. The demonstration was in response to INEC’s decision to exclude LP candidates from the bye-elections scheduled for 16 August 2025 across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 12 other states. The protesters, arriving as early as 11:00 AM, expressed their frustration through songs, dances, and placards bearing messages such as “INEC, who is using you against LP?”, “Mahmood, stop destroying democracy in Nigeria,” and “Tell INEC to obey court orders.”
Speaking on behalf of the group, Dr. Barry Avotu-Johnson, the LP’s Deputy National Youth Leader, demanded that INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu respect a court order recognising Abure as the party’s National Chairman. He urged INEC to upload the names of the party’s “validly nominated candidates” for the upcoming bye-elections, stating, “This is not asking for too much. Justice and respect for the rule of law are the hallmarks of democracy worldwide, and Nigeria shouldn’t be an exception.” Peter Ugwu, the LP’s FCT Chairman, echoed these sentiments, asserting that the party had conducted primaries and selected candidates for the elections, yet their names were absent from INEC’s portal, unlike those of other parties.
The protesters accused INEC of undermining democracy by rejecting the candidate list submitted by the Abure-led faction, citing a Supreme Court ruling on 4 April 2025, which declared Abure’s tenure as National Chairman ended on 8 June 2023. However, the Abure faction, through National Publicity Secretary Obiora Ifoh, argued that the Supreme Court’s judgement addressed only the jurisdiction of lower courts and not the substantive issue of internal party matters. Ifoh described INEC’s exclusion as “unlawful” and an “abuse of power,” emphasising that the LP has the right to sponsor candidates under Nigeria’s Constitution and the Electoral Act 2022. He called for the immediate enlistment of their candidates and warned that excluding the LP could lead to significant financial and democratic losses.
The LP’s internal leadership crisis has deepened the controversy, with the faction led by Senator Nenadi Usman distancing itself from the protest. In a statement issued by Ken Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Usman, the interim leadership labelled the protesters as “political impersonators” and commended INEC for rejecting Abure’s candidate list, citing the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Usman faction urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute the protesters, claiming they lacked the party’s approval.
INEC’s National Commissioner, Abdulahi Zuru, representing Prof. Yakubu, received the protesters and promised to convey their message to the commission’s leadership. However, no immediate resolution was provided at the time of the protest. The demonstration highlights the ongoing power struggle within the LP, with tensions between the Abure faction and the Usman-led group, backed by figures like Governor Alex Otti and Peter Obi, raising concerns about the party’s unity ahead of the 2027 general elections.
As the LP grapples with its internal divisions, the exclusion of its candidates from the bye-elections has sparked broader debates about electoral fairness and INEC’s role in navigating party disputes. The Abure faction remains resolute, vowing to pursue legal action to ensure their candidates are included in the polls.
