Faisal Salisu DambattaThe Federal Capital Territory (FCT) chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to comply with a court order by uploading its candidates for the February 26, 2026, area council elections.
The party made the call on Monday during a protest at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, following the exclusion of LP candidates from the commission’s recently published list for the area council polls.
Speaking during the protest, the LP Zonal Chairman for North Central, Princess Licia Igbe, said the demonstration was necessitated by INEC’s alleged refusal to obey an existing court order covering the forthcoming FCT elections.
She urged the electoral body to immediately upload the party’s candidates to its official portal, warning that failure to do so could disenfranchise the party and undermine public confidence ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“We are here demanding that Labour Party candidates be uploaded because a court order covers the upcoming FCT elections,” Igbe said, calling on INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, to act with integrity.
Also speaking, the FCT LP Publicity Secretary, Eyisi Nwoke, described the omission as a deliberate attempt to prevent the party from participating in the elections.
He alleged that certain interests were opposed to the party’s participation due to its growing popularity among FCT residents.
“No one will stop LP from contesting. If INEC fails to upload our candidates, we will enforce our rights through the law,” Nwoke said, adding that the party remained peaceful and law-abiding.
Addressing the protesters, INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Zuru, assured them that their petition and the court order would be forwarded to the commission for consideration.
Zuru reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to the rule of law, stating that the commission has a history of respecting judicial decisions.
