FCT Area Council Polls: INEC Explains Exclusion of LP Candidates

Ahead of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated that candidates presented by the Barrister Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) will not be allowed to participate due to unresolved legal disputes.

INEC disclosed this position in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by the Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi. According to the Commission, there is currently no valid access code authorising the Abure-led faction of the Labour Party to upload candidates’ details for the forthcoming FCT Area Council election.
The Commission stressed that the issues surrounding the Labour Party remain before the courts and, as such, INEC will continue to respect the sanctity of the judicial process while awaiting the final determination of the pending cases.
It will be recalled that supporters of the Labour Party staged a protest at the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Monday, January 5, 2026, over the exclusion of the party’s candidates from the FCT Area Council election slated for Saturday, February 21, 2026. The protesters demanded that INEC issue access codes to enable the party upload the names of its candidates.
Explaining its position, INEC noted that the Labour Party has been embroiled in protracted internal leadership crises since 2024, which culminated in the judgment of the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party), delivered on April 4, 2025.
According to the Commission, the apex court clearly ruled that the tenure of the Barrister Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had elapsed. Despite this definitive ruling, the Abure-led faction allegedly went ahead to conduct primaries for the August 16, 2025 bye-elections nationwide as well as the FCT Area Council elections.
INEC further recalled that the Abure-led faction instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1523/2025—Labour Party v. INEC—at the Federal High Court, Abuja, challenging its exclusion from the bye-elections. Judgment in the suit was delivered on August 15, 2025, dismissing the case and affirming the Supreme Court’s decision that Barrister Julius Abure was no longer recognised as the National Chairman of the Labour Party, thereby upholding INEC’s action.
The Commission added that following this, the Labour Party filed several suits in different courts, all seeking orders compelling INEC to grant access codes for the upload of its candidates for the FCT Area Council election scheduled for February 21, 2026.
These include Suit No. NSD/LF.84/2024 at the Nasarawa State High Court, Akwanga Division. When proceedings at that court stalled, the party approached the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, seeking an order compelling INEC to issue access codes. That matter, INEC said, is still pending.
The Labour Party also approached the FCT High Court, Jabi Division, in Suit No. CV/4792/2025, filing a motion to compel INEC to issue access codes for the election. The matter was adjourned to January 15, 2026, for hearing after INEC filed its response.
Rather than await the hearing, INEC stated that the party filed another suit—Suit No. CV/4930/2025—before the FCT High Court, Life Camp Division, seeking the same relief. In that suit, an ex parte interim order was granted on December 16, 2025, directing INEC to upload the names and particulars of the Labour Party candidates. The court, however, specified that the order would lapse after seven days unless extended.
INEC explained that upon being served with the court processes, it promptly filed its defence, challenging both the competence of the suit and the court’s jurisdiction. Consequently, the interim order lapsed on December 23, 2025, without any extension.
“As it stands, there is no subsisting court order directing INEC to act,” the Commission said.
INEC reiterated that since the matter remains sub judice, it will continue to uphold the rule of law by respecting the judicial process until all pending cases are finally determined. The Commission also reaffirmed its commitment to the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Electoral Act 2022, and its regulations and guidelines, stressing that political parties must adhere to democratic standards and lawful internal processes.