Members of the Labour Party (LP), led by Julius Abure, protested Wednesday at the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) national offices in Abuja, claiming that their candidates’ names were left off the list for the next elections.
Anger over INEC’s decision to not publish candidates submitted by the Abure-led group for the Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections and several National Assembly bye-elections was reportedly expressed by the protesters, who gathered under a close security presence.
Marching around the commission’s grounds, the demonstrators chanted solidarity songs and held signs that read, “INEC should respect the rule of law,” “Supreme Court judgement favors Julius Abure,” and “INEC should not kill the greatest opposition party in Nigeria.”
But the official Labour Party leadership quickly disassociated itself from the demonstration, claiming that no valid party institution had approved or approved the activity.
Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to Interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman, released a statement on Tuesday in which the party referred to the demonstrators as “political impersonators.”
According to the statement, “The Labour Party leadership has taken notice of an invitation that has been making the rounds about a reportedly planned protest at the Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters on August 6, 2025.”
Read Also: Federal Government Disburses N22bn for Retirees’ Pensions
It is said that some unidentified people acting under the guise of the Labour Party are organizing this protest. The Labour Party does not endorse the aforementioned demonstration, we would like to make that clear. The party leadership does not know who organized the event, and the party does not support or endorse it.
In addition, the party leadership cited INEC’s recent denial of a list of candidates that Julius Abure and his group had submitted, criticizing the submission as “illegitimate.”
Abure’s term as chairman of the Labour Party ended on June 8, 2023, according to the Supreme Court’s ruling from April 4, 2025, which the electoral commission was advised to follow.
When the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party, led by Governor Alex Otti, named Nenadi Usman as the party’s interim national chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as its interim national secretary in July, the long-running leadership battle within the party grew more intense.
