A faction of the Labour Party (LP) loyal to Julius Abure staged a protest on Wednesday at the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja over the exclusion of its candidates from the list for upcoming elections.
The group expressed anger at INEC’s decision not to publish the names of its nominated candidates for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council polls and several National Assembly bye-elections. Protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “INEC should respect the rule of law,” “Supreme Court judgement favours Julius Abure,” “INEC should not kill the greatest opposition party in Nigeria,” and “Caretaker committee is not a political party,” while security personnel monitored the situation.
Despite the visible demonstration, the main leadership of the Labour Party distanced itself from the protest. In a statement signed by Ken Eluma Asogwa, media adviser to Interim National Chairman Nenadi Usman, the party labelled the protesters as “political impersonators” and insisted the protest was not authorised.
“The attention of the leadership of the Labour Party has been drawn to an invitation circulating in certain quarters regarding a purported protest scheduled to be held… at the headquarters of INEC. We wish to categorically state that the said protest is not sanctioned by the Labour Party,” the statement read.
INEC recently rejected a list of candidates submitted by the Abure-led faction, citing questions over its legitimacy. The party’s current leadership referenced the Supreme Court’s April 4, 2025 ruling, which stated that Julius Abure’s tenure as national chairman expired on June 8, 2023.
The Labour Party has been in a prolonged leadership crisis that worsened in July after the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), chaired by Abia State Governor Alex Otti, appointed Nenadi Usman as Interim National Chairman and Darlington Nwokocha as Interim National Secretary. The NEC also approved timelines for congresses leading up to a national convention.
However, members of the Abure-led faction, including National Youth Leader Kennedy Ahanotu, rejected the new appointments, describing them as unconstitutional. Ahanotu insisted that Abure remains the legitimate chairman, citing both the party’s constitution and the Electoral Act.
The deepening leadership rift, especially between the Abure camp and the bloc aligned with Peter Obi, Governor Otti, and Nenadi Usman, continues to raise concerns about the party’s stability and preparedness ahead of the 2027 general elections.
