INEC: Why We Rejected LP Candidate For Edo Bye-Election

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, says the Labour Party, LP,  Julius Abure-led did not inform the commission of its readiness to contest the upcoming National Assembly bye-election in Edo state. It was based on this that the party was disqualified from contesting the election slated for next week, the commission said on Wednesday.

The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha made the clarification yesterday, saying the Commission did not also monitored the primary election that produced the party’s candidate, Paul Okojie, nominated to contest the Edo state Central Senatorial election scheduled by INEC for next week.

“From our records, the Labour Party and some other parties neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with the necessary procedures. In some cases, we arrived at venues, but the locations were shut, and no activity took place,” the REC said.

The clarification comes on the heels of a protest by the Abure faction of the party, to INEC National Headquarters in Abuja yesterday, demanding that the party’s candidate be included on the list of candidates contesting the bye- election.

According to checks from INEC nine political parties had been cleared for the election. They include the All Progressives Congress, APC, Action Peoples Party,  Action Alliance, AA; African Democratic Congress, ADC; APC; Allied Peoples Movement, ; Action Democratic Party, ADP; New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP; Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; and Zenith Labour Party, ZLP.

Meanwhile, another faction of the party led by Nenadi Usman, in its reaction to the protest, described the protesters as “impostors’ saying they did not represent the party, and that they should be arrested by security agencies.

Ken Asogwa, the Senior Special Adviser on Media to Usman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the party has no connection with the proposed protest.

The statement read in part, “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 hold tomorrow, Wednesday, August 6, 2025, at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“This protest is allegedly being organised by some unknown individuals purportedly operating under the banner of the Labour Party.

“We wish to categorically state that the said protest is not sanctioned by the Labour Party.

“The organisers are unknown to the party’s leadership, and the action lacks the approval and backing of the party.

“The public is hereby put on notice that anyone participating in or promoting this protest is doing so without the consent of the Labour Party and should be regarded as an impostor.”