By:Oluwafemi SamuelThe Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has issued a stern warning to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), threatening to seek legal redress if its candidates are excluded from the August 16, 2025 bye-election ballot.The warning follows INEC’s omission of LP candidates from its August 2 by-election list—a decision that sparked a protest march to the commission’s Abuja headquarters last week.Despite ongoing leadership disputes within the party, the Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) insists its primaries were valid and its candidates legitimate.Factional National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, in a statement on Tuesday, demanded that INEC immediately publish the names of the LP’s candidates and ensure the party’s logo appears on the ballot.Citing the Electoral Act 2022, Ifoh argued that any political party unlawfully excluded from an election has the right to approach the courts for redress.“If INEC proceeds with the August 16 bye-election without recognizing our candidates and placing our logo on the ballot, we will seek to nullify the exercise following the law,” the statement declared.The development marks another flashpoint in the Labour Party’s deepening internal crisis, raising concerns over how the disputes could impact its electoral prospects.
