Labour Party Sues INEC Over Exclusion from Enugu North Senatorial By-Election
The Labour Party (LP) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge what it described as its wrongful exclusion from the forthcoming Enugu North Senatorial District by-election scheduled for June 20, 2026, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Ken Eluma Asogwa.
According to the party, the senatorial seat became vacant following the death of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented Enugu North Senatorial District under the Labour Party before his demise on November 18, 2025.
The statement explained that after INEC released the timetable for the by-election, the Labour Party duly notified the electoral body on May 11, 2026, of its intention to conduct a primary election in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s guidelines.
The party said its primary election was successfully held on May 25, 2026, attracting party members from the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district. At the exercise, Ambassador Simon Ejike Eze emerged as the party’s consensus candidate for the by-election.
However, the Labour Party alleged that despite complying with all legal and procedural requirements, it was denied access to upload its candidate’s particulars on INEC’s nomination portal.
The party stated that several efforts, including formal protests and written correspondence to the Commission before the close of nominations on June 2, 2026, failed to resolve the issue.
The Labour Party maintained that it fulfilled all statutory obligations required for the nomination of its candidate and questioned the rationale behind its exclusion from the election.
The party further expressed concern over reports that the Head of Elections and Party Monitoring (EPM) in Enugu State declined to transmit the report of its primary election on the grounds that he was out of town and therefore unable to monitor the exercise.
Describing the explanation as unacceptable, the party argued that it should not suffer the consequences of an electoral official’s absence or failure to perform assigned duties.
According to the statement, political parties are only required by law to notify INEC of their primary elections, a requirement it said the Labour Party fully complied with. The party insisted that the validity of its primary election could not be undermined by the absence of INEC officials, noting that neither the Electoral Act nor INEC regulations make the physical presence of the Commission a condition for the conduct or validity of party primaries.
While reaffirming its confidence in INEC’s leadership, the Labour Party called on the Commission to investigate the actions of its officials in Enugu State and take appropriate disciplinary measures against anyone found culpable.
The party warned that denying it the opportunity to field a candidate in an election necessitated by the death of one of its serving senators would amount to a grave injustice and would deprive voters in Enugu North Senatorial District of democratic choices.
The Labour Party said it remains confident in the judiciary and urged its members and supporters to remain peaceful, law-abiding, and patient as the matter is being determined by the court.
