- Expresses optimism ahead 2027
From Sola Ojo, Abuja
The Barrister Julius Abure-led Labour Party has condemned the August 16 by-elections, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of deliberately excluding its candidates from the process.
The faction described the exercise as a travesty of democracy and warned that its legal team is already studying the output and outcome which may lead to approaching the courts to nullify the entire election.
Deputy National Chairman of the party, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, reacting to the outcome via his mobile line on Sunday, lamented that in some states, the names of Labour Party candidates were mentioned and votes recorded for them, while in other places, they were completely omitted.
“INEC did not include our candidates. They failed to upload their names, and as a result, the Labour Party was effectively excluded from the elections.
“Because our candidates were not uploaded, they could not campaign. That is why we ended up with scattered or minimal votes.
“You see in Kaduna for example, that is, our candidate for Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency has over 1,000 votes which means a lot,” Olorunfemi explained.
He added that although the Labour Party logo appeared on the ballot, the absence of candidate names created confusion among voters, with reports emerging from some polling units where individuals used biro to cancel the Labour Party logo.
Olorunfemi stressed that the party could not have been expected to perform under such conditions, but expressed optimism that the situation would be corrected before the next election cycles especially the 2027 general election.
He argued that there was already a valid court order affirming Abure as the legitimate National Chairman of the party, and mandating INEC to recognise all actions taken under his leadership.
“In principle, INEC has agreed to obey that order, pending the resolution of the substantive matter in court.
“Legally, there is no encumbrance to the party, unless INEC chooses to act lawlessly, which I do not expect,” he said.
Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Obiora Ifoh, also reacted to the situation, describing the implications of INEC’s actions as grave for future elections, including those leading up to the next general polls.
“The exclusion of our candidates means that the Labour Party was effectively shut out of the contest. Our candidates could not campaign because their names were not uploaded.
“This explains why the party only managed to secure scattered votes,” he said.
While acknowledging that the party’s performance did not reflect its true strength, particularly in Anambra State, where it had anticipated stronger support, Ifoh maintained that the Labour Party remained optimistic.
“Between now and the next election, we believe these issues will be resolved.
“The court order recognising Barrister Abure’s leadership gives us a solid ground to stand on. There is no legal obstacle preventing us from contesting in future elections. So, while this election was disappointing, the future remains open,” he added.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a reaction from the Senator Nenadi Usman factional leadership of the party were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, as some of them claimed to be in a meeting and promised to call back, which they did not.
Meanwhile, the main face of the party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr Peter Obi, had a few hours before the by-elections asked his supporters to vote for candidates of the African Democratic Party (ADC).
To him, “On the 16th of August 2025. Nigerians will go to the polling units again for the bye-elections.
“This is expected to take place in the 16 States of the Federation with 2 Senatorial, 5 Federal House of Representatives and 9 State Assembly seats available for voting.
“Kindly note that because the Labour Party has no recognised candidates by INEC due to the internal crisis, I humbly urge every member of Obidient and COPDEM families to go out and vote for the coalition political party, African Democratic Congress (ADC), in their respective states.
“The struggle for Nigeria has started. Thank you”, Obi wrote on his verified ‘X’ which clearly stated his position as far as the just concluded by-elections were concerned.
