By Lanre Oloyede
The Labour Party (LP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of applying different standards in similar legal situations, alleging selective obedience to court orders.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party commended the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for successfully uploading its candidates’ details to the INEC portal after what it described as an initial attempt by the commission to deny access. However, LP expressed concern that INEC failed to apply the same principle to its leadership dispute.
Ifoh questioned why INEC ignored a Notice of Appeal and Motion for Stay of Execution filed by the Julius Abure-led leadership following a Federal High Court judgment that recognised the Nenadi Usman-led interim executive. He argued that once such applications are filed, all parties are expected to maintain the status quo until the matter is determined.
According to him, INEC relied on the existence of a pending appeal and motion for stay to justify allowing the NDC to upload its candidates but refused to extend the same consideration to the Labour Party. He recalled that after the January 21, 2026 judgment, the Abure-led leadership immediately filed an appeal and motion for stay, yet INEC removed the party’s leadership from its portal on January 29 while the applications were still pending.
The LP spokesman described the action as unlawful and inconsistent, accusing INEC of disregarding another Federal High Court order directing it to amend its electoral timetable to comply with the Electoral Act. He further alleged that INEC contributed to the party’s internal crisis by declaring the tenure of the Abure-led National Working Committee expired despite receiving statutory notices and reports relating to the party’s convention.
The Labour Party warned that democracy would be endangered if public institutions were allowed to choose which court orders to obey, insisting that all judicial decisions should be treated equally under the rule of law. It urged Nigerians to pay attention to what it described as inconsistent application of legal principles, cautioning that actions tolerated against one party today could eventually affect others.
