The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stirred fresh controversy in the Labour Party, disqualifying all candidates submitted by the Julius Abure-led faction from contesting the August 16 bye-elections. While the move has sparked outrage from Abure loyalists, a former party executive has hailed it as a triumph for legality and internal democracy.
Former National Treasurer of the Labour Party, Oluchi Oparah, praised INEC’s decision, saying it “restores sanity and upholds the rule of law.” She argued that Abure ceased to be chairman as far back as June 8, 2023, and accused him of flouting party rules and court orders in a desperate bid to retain control.
“This is long overdue,” Oparah said in a statement. “The Supreme Court was clear, and now INEC has reinforced that clarity. Abure’s tenure expired last year. Every action he has taken since then, including organizing primaries, is null and void.”
Oparah, who previously exposed alleged financial irregularities under Abure’s watch, dismissed claims that the party was being sidelined. “It is not Labour Party being excluded; it is illegality being shut out,” she said.
But in a swift backlash, the Abure-led faction accused INEC of overreaching its mandate. In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the faction condemned the disqualification as “a blatant abuse of power” and warned that the Commission was treading on dangerous ground.
“INEC is not a court,” Ifoh declared. “It cannot interpret Supreme Court rulings or decide who leads our party. The judgment never said Abure was no longer chairman.”
He vowed to challenge the disqualification in court and insisted that Labour Party had every right to appear on the ballot. “This is political interference disguised as legal compliance. We will resist it.”
Sources within INEC, however, maintained that the Commission acted strictly within the law. One senior official noted that INEC is bound by the Electoral Act, which mandates it to monitor valid primaries before accepting nominated candidates.
“No primaries were monitored under Mr. Abure’s faction,” the official said. “His leadership lapsed in June 2023. That’s the legal fact, and INEC can’t pretend otherwise.”
As the August 16 polls draw closer, Labour Party’s internal schism has been laid bare—one side celebrating what it calls a return to order, the other decrying exclusion and vowing a legal showdown. The battle for the party’s soul—and ballot access—now shifts to the courts and the court of public opinion.