The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has clarified why it denied the Labour Party (LP) access codes to upload candidates for the upcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council election, scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026. INEC stated that no valid court order currently compels it to grant such access.

In a statement signed by Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, the commission said its explanation followed a protest by Labour Party supporters at its Abuja headquarters on January 5, 2026. The protesters complained about the exclusion of their candidates and demanded access codes.

INEC attributed the controversy to LP’s prolonged internal leadership dispute. Since 2024, the party has faced internal crises that culminated in the Supreme Court ruling in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party) on April 4, 2025. The apex court ruled that the tenure of the Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.

Despite the ruling, the Abure-led faction reportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-election and the FCT Area Council election, triggering legal confrontations with INEC. The Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/1523/2025 (Labour Party v. INEC), dismissed the party’s challenge on August 15, 2025, upholding the Supreme Court’s decision and INEC’s exclusion of the faction.

Since then, Labour Party has filed multiple lawsuits seeking to compel INEC to issue access codes for the FCT election. These include Suit No. NSD/LF.84/2024 in Nasarawa State High Court, Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025 in the Federal High Court, and Suit No. CV/4792/2025 in the FCT High Court, Jabi Division. Another case, Suit No. CV/4930/2025 in the FCT High Court, Life Camp Division, sought the same relief.

Although an interim ex parte order was granted in the Life Camp case on December 16, 2025, the order explicitly lapsed after seven days and was not extended. INEC emphasized that there is currently no subsisting court order mandating it to act.

The commission stressed its respect for the judicial process, stating: “Given that the matter is sub judice, INEC will continue to respect the sanctity of the judicial process and await the final determination of the pending cases.”

INEC reaffirmed its commitment to due process, constitutional provisions, and the Electoral Act, 2022, declaring that it will continue to hold political parties accountable to democratic standards and the rule of law in their internal affairs.