The heat is on in Edo State as the Labour Party finds itself locked out of the upcoming National Assembly by-elections—prompting outrage and protest at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Led by Barrister Julius Abure, top officials of the Labour Party stormed INEC’s Abuja office on Wednesday, protesting the party’s exclusion from the elections slated for next week. But INEC isn’t backing down and has now shed more light on its controversial decision.
According to Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, the Labour Party failed to meet basic electoral requirements. Specifically, the party did not officially notify INEC about its primaries, nor were the commission’s officials allowed to monitor them—a key legal step in candidate nomination.
“From our records, the Labour Party and several others neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with necessary procedures. In some instances, our team showed up, but the venues were locked and inactive,” Onuoha revealed.
This directly contradicts earlier claims by the party that Paul Okojie had been duly nominated for the Edo Central Senatorial seat.
INEC has now cleared nine political parties to participate in the by-elections, including:
- Action Alliance (AA)
- African Democratic Congress (ADC)
- All Progressives Congress (APC)
- Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
- Action Peoples Party (APP)
- Action Democratic Party (ADP)
- New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)
- Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
- Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
With the stage set, INEC says it’s fully prepared to deliver a credible election. Non-sensitive materials are already on the ground, and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been fully configured for use.
Out of 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas involved in the elections, over 101,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected—raising concerns about voter turnout.
As tensions simmer, the REC also took a swipe at critics, particularly the PDP, which had earlier demanded his redeployment. “Even if your own brother is appointed to INEC, he cannot manipulate the system. The commission’s structure simply does not allow it,” he stated firmly.
The upcoming by-elections will fill vacant seats in both the Edo Central Senatorial District and the Ovia Federal Constituency, following the elevation of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa as governor and deputy governor, respectively.
With only a few days to go, all eyes are on Edo and it’s already proving to be a political showdown.
