Labour Party Dismisses Leadership Crisis Claims

The Labour Party has dismissed claims of a leadership crisis within its ranks, insisting that the statement issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) strictly concerns the February 18, 2026, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections and not the leadership of the party.

This position was made known in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, who accused a suspended party member and former senator, Darlington Nwokocha, of impersonation and deliberately misinforming Nigerians over the content and intent of INEC’s statement on the withholding of an access code.

According to the party, Nwokocha falsely claimed to be representing an illegal and non-existent caretaker committee of the Labour Party, while exhibiting what it described as a “colossal ignorance” of the issues surrounding INEC’s decision. The party stressed that the electoral commission’s action was based solely on unresolved legal disputes connected to the FCT Area Council election.

INEC, in a statement titled “RE: Claims on Access Code for Labour Party Candidates in the 2026 FCT Area Council Election,” detailed the judicial processes arising from the polls and explained that it would be appropriate to withhold the access code pending the conclusion of the cases. The Labour Party emphasised that the statement made no reference whatsoever to its leadership.

The party accused Nwokocha of twisting INEC’s explanation to suit his personal agenda, stressing that there is no vacancy at the National Secretariat of the Labour Party and that its leadership remains intact.

It further stated that under the current leadership of INEC, led by Professor Joash Amupitan, the commission has normalised its relationship with the Abure-led Labour Party, correcting what it described as past errors under the immediate past leadership of the commission.

The party noted that INEC has since invited the Labour Party leadership to its quarterly consultative meetings with political parties, issued access codes for the upload of candidates for the 2026 Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, and involved the party in key electoral processes.

According to the statement, INEC also deployed senior officials from its Election and Party Management (EPM) and Legal Departments to monitor the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and congresses held across the federation.

The Labour Party said these developments show that INEC has moved in the right direction and cannot “approbate and reprobate at the same time,” advising Nwokocha and members of the NLC-appointed National Working Committee to move on.

It further pointed out that their principal, Peter Obi, has already defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), alongside other allies, and urged them to follow suit rather than maintain divided political loyalties.

The party also argued that even if the so-called caretaker committee were assumed to be legal, its tenure had since elapsed, questioning the basis upon which it continues to operate or convene meetings.

Recalling the 2023 general elections, the party stated that it was under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure that Nwokocha was given the Senate ticket, which he won but later lost due to what it described as negligence and failure to defend his mandate.

On the legal position of the party leadership, the Labour Party reaffirmed that no court has set aside its National Convention held on March 27, 2024, adding that the Supreme Court judgment in SC/CV/56/2025 did not remove Barrister Julius Abure as National Chairman.

The party explained that the apex court merely held that leadership disputes within political parties are internal affairs and therefore non-justiciable, striking out the suit for want of jurisdiction without making any pronouncement against Abure.

It added that the names of Barrister Julius Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim remain duly registered with INEC as the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Labour Party, respectively.