Oluchi Oparah, former National Treasurer of the Labour Party, has lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for barring candidates from the Julius Abure-led faction from the August 16, 2025, bye-elections, calling it a restoration of “sanity and respect for the rule of law.”
INEC’s final candidate list excluded Abure’s nominees, citing a Supreme Court ruling on April 4, 2025, which confirmed Abure’s tenure as National Chairman ended on June 8, 2023, and declared his faction’s primaries invalid under the Electoral Act due to lack of INEC monitoring.
Oparah, instrumental in exposing alleged financial mismanagement under Abure, hailed INEC’s decision as a “major victory for constitutional order and internal party democracy.”
In a statement, she said, “Abure’s leadership expired last year. Any action taken by him since then—including organising primaries—is null and void. INEC is simply enforcing the law.”
She urged Nigerians and Labour Party supporters to reject claims that the party is being sidelined, asserting that only the “illegal faction” is being excluded.
In response, the Abure-led faction condemned INEC’s move as an unlawful overreach into the party’s internal affairs.
Obiora Ifoh, the faction’s National Publicity Secretary, argued that INEC lacks the authority to interpret the Supreme Court ruling or determine party leadership legitimacy.
“INEC is not a court of law. Its job is to conduct elections, not to judge political parties’ internal matters,” Ifoh stated, denying that the Supreme Court ruled against Abure’s leadership.
He vowed to challenge the disqualification legally, insisting, “No election should go on without Labour Party on the ballot.”
INEC sources defended the decision, stating it aligns with the Supreme Court ruling and statutory requirements, as the commission did not monitor Abure’s primaries.
“His tenure ended in June 2023. That’s the position of the law,” a senior official clarified. As the Labour Party grapples with internal divisions, one faction celebrates the enforcement of legal order while the other fights what it calls political exclusion.
