The Independent National Electoral Commission has explained its decision to withhold access codes requested by the Labour Party for uploading candidates’ names ahead of the February 21, 2026, Federal Capital Territory Area Council election.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, January 7, by its Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs Victoria Ewa-Messi, the Commission said the Labour Party remained trapped in a prolonged leadership crisis that had generated multiple court cases.
INEC was reacting to a protest by supporters of the Labour Party at its Abuja headquarters, where demonstrators accused the Commission of deliberately excluding the party’s candidates from the election and demanded the release of access codes needed for candidate uploads.
The Commission described the protest as unnecessary, stating that the dispute was already before several courts and was therefore sub judice.
INEC recalled that the internal crisis in the party culminated in a Supreme Court judgment delivered on April 4, 2025, which ruled that the tenure of the National Executive Committee led by Julius Abure had expired.
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He said, “Despite this clear pronouncement, the Abure-led faction purportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council Election.”
The Commission further explained that subsequent legal actions filed by the party to compel INEC to issue access codes had either been dismissed or were still pending before the courts.
INEC noted that while a High Court in Abuja granted an interim ex parte order on December 16, 2025 directing it to upload Labour Party candidates, the order was valid for only seven days and was not renewed.
“The interim Order consequently lapsed on 23rd December, 2025 and was not extended. Accordingly, there is presently no subsisting Court Order for INEC to act upon,” INEC stated.
The Commission reaffirmed that it would continue to respect the judicial process and would await final court decisions before taking any further action on the issue.