The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced its decision to exclude candidates of the Labour Party (LP) from the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Councils election, scheduled for February 21, 2026, until all ongoing court cases involving the party's leadership are conclusively determined. This decision follows a protest by members of the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party on Monday, January 5, 2026, at INEC's headquarters in Abuja, where they decried their candidates' exclusion and demanded access codes to upload their candidates.

INEC, through a statement signed by its Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, clarified that the Labour Party has been plagued by prolonged internal leadership disputes since 2024. These disputes culminated in a Supreme Court judgment in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party), delivered on April 4, 2025. In this landmark decision, the Apex Court unequivocally declared that the tenure of the Barr. Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.

Despite this clear pronouncement from the Supreme Court, the Abure-led faction reportedly proceeded to conduct primaries for both the August 16, 2025, bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council Election. This action led to further legal challenges. The Abure-led faction instituted Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1523/2025 – Labour Party v. INEC at the Federal High Court, Abuja, contesting INEC's decision to exclude it from the bye-election. The Federal High Court delivered its judgment on August 15, 2025, dismissing the suit and upholding INEC's position that Barr. Julius Abure was no longer recognized as the legitimate National Chairman of the Labour Party, thereby validating the commission's exclusion of the party from the bye-election.

Following this, the Labour Party filed multiple suits against INEC in various courts, all with the objective of compelling the commission to grant access codes for the upload of its candidates for the FCT Area Council Election. These legal actions included Suit No. NSD/LF.84/2024 before the Nasarawa State High Court, Akwanga Division, which subsequently stalled. The party then approached the Federal High Court Abuja in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, seeking a similar order, with the matter still pending.

Further attempts were made at the FCT High Court, Jabi Division, in Suit No. CV/4792/2025, where a motion seeking an order to compel INEC to issue access codes was filed. This matter was adjourned to January 15, 2026, for hearing after INEC had submitted its reply. However, without awaiting the hearing, the Labour Party initiated yet another suit, No. CV/4930/2025, before the FCT High Court, Life Camp Division, pursuing the identical relief.

In Suit No. CV/4930/2025, an ex parte interim order was granted on December 16, 2025, directing INEC to upload the names and particulars of the Labour Party candidates for the FCT Area Council Election. The Court explicitly stated that this order would lapse after seven days unless extended. Upon receiving the originating processes, INEC promptly filed its defence, challenging the suit's competence and the court's jurisdiction. Consequently, the interim order lapsed on December 23, 2025, without an extension, meaning there is currently no subsisting court order that mandates INEC to act.

Given that the matter remains sub judice, INEC has reiterated its commitment to respecting the sanctity of the judicial process and will await the final determination of all pending cases. The commission also reaffirmed its unwavering adherence to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, and its Regulations and Guidelines. INEC stated its continued dedication to holding political parties accountable to democratic standards and the Rule of Law in the conduct of their internal affairs.