Party rejects claims by rival faction, insists access code issue is unrelated to chairmanship dispute
The Julius Abure-led leadership of the Labour Party (LP) has dismissed claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is opposed to its continued leadership, describing the narrative as a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and deepen internal party tensions.
The party made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in reaction to comments attributed to a faction aligned with Abia State Governor Alex Otti and Senator Nenadi Usman.
According to the statement, Abure drew attention to claims made by Senator Darlington Nwokocha, whom the party described as a suspended member allegedly speaking for what it termed an “illegal and non-existent caretaker committee.”
Abure said Nwokocha misrepresented INEC’s recent explanation on why it withheld access codes from the Labour Party ahead of the February 18, 2026, Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections.
INEC had, in a statement titled “Re: Claims on Access Code for Labour Party in the 2026 FCT Area Council Election,” outlined the legal developments surrounding the council elections and cited ongoing court cases as the reason for withholding the party’s access code.
However, the Labour Party leadership insisted that the electoral body’s position had nothing to do with the party’s national leadership.
“The INEC statement only explained that unresolved legal proceedings arising from the FCT Area Council elections made it necessary to withhold access pending the conclusion of those cases,” the party said, adding that the matter had been deliberately taken out of context.
The statement further maintained that there is no vacancy in the Labour Party’s National Secretariat, stressing that INEC’s engagement with the party has continued under the current commission leadership.
According to the Abure-led group, relations with INEC have since been stabilised following the emergence of Professor Joash Amupitan as chairman of the commission, whom it said has regularised interactions with the party.
The party cited several points to support its position, including invitations to INEC’s quarterly consultative meetings, participation in preparatory processes for the 2026 governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, and INEC’s monitoring of Labour Party National Executive Committee meetings and congresses across the country.
Abure also took aim at the rival faction, urging its leaders to move on, noting that the party’s former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The clarification came less than 24 hours after the Nenadi Usman-led faction of the Labour Party announced the endorsement of Governor Alex Otti as the party’s national leader. The decision was reached at a meeting of the faction’s Interim National Working Committee in Abuja and communicated through a communiqué signed by Senator Darlington Nwokocha.
That faction welcomed INEC’s press statement issued on January 7, 2026, which it claimed reaffirmed a Supreme Court judgment of April 4, 2025, allegedly removing Abure as national chairman. Based on that interpretation, it called on INEC to recognise Senator Nenadi Usman and Senator Nwokocha as the party’s national chairman and secretary, respectively.
Peter Obi’s recent defection to the ADC has further intensified the leadership crisis within the Labour Party, which has remained divided since the aftermath of the 2023 general election.
The Abure-led leadership, however, insists that its position remains intact and recognised, urging party members and the public to disregard what it described as “misleading interpretations” of INEC’s statements.
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