The Labour Party (LP) has called for the immediate resignation of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, accusing him of entering into an unconstitutional political coalition with opposition figures including Peter Obi, Abia State Governor Alex Otti, and NLC President Joe Ajaero.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Thursday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Abayomi Arabambi, the LP alleged that INEC has “finally yielded to pressure” and become a “partisan weapon” working against the party.
“This action, carried out without due process, legal justification, or even the basic courtesy of official communication to our party, is not only a blatant violation of all democratic principles but a distressing indication of INEC’s descent into partisan manipulation,” the statement read.
The LP criticized INEC’s exclusion of its candidates from the upcoming August 16 bye-elections, claiming the decision lacks legal and moral justification. The party insisted that the Supreme Court ruling of April 4, 2025, did not authorize INEC to invalidate any of its candidates, but merely directed internal resolution of the party's leadership disputes.
The statement further accused INEC of allowing affiliates of Peter Obi to announce the disqualification of LP candidates in the media, instead of following official communication channels. It sarcastically congratulated INEC on appointing a “new Commissioner for Information” who “shamelessly published the unconstitutional exclusion.”
Calling the move “collusion” rather than neutrality, the LP warned that no opposition party is safe if INEC continues to choose which party faction to recognize.
The Labour Party outlined four major demands:
- Immediate reversal of the “unlawful decision” to disqualify its candidates.
- EFCC investigation into INEC’s Legal and Elections Monitoring Departments.
- Asset declaration by all INEC staff via the Code of Conduct Tribunal.
- Full investigation into what it called “unconstitutional disenfranchisement.”
The statement concluded with a direct demand:
“The time for INEC National Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign IS NOW.”
