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By Chioma Favour
ABUJA – The Labour Party has dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over what it described as the unlawful exclusion of its candidate from the forthcoming Enugu North Senatorial District by-election scheduled for June 20, 2026.
The party said the senatorial seat became vacant following the death of Senator Okey Ezea on November 18, 2025, prompting INEC to schedule a by-election to fill the vacancy.
According to the Labour Party, it complied with all electoral guidelines by formally notifying INEC on May 11, 2026, of its intention to conduct a senatorial primary election on May 25, 2026.
The exercise, the party said, was attended by members from the six local government areas within the district, with Ambassador Simon Ejike Eze emerging as the consensus candidate.
However, the party alleged that despite fulfilling all legal and administrative requirements, it was denied access to INEC’s nomination portal to upload the particulars of its candidate before the June 2 deadline.
The Labour Party stated that it made several attempts to resolve the issue through official correspondence and protests to the electoral commission but received no positive response.
The party further expressed concern over reports that an Elections and Party Monitoring (EPM) official in Enugu State declined to transmit the report of its primary election on the grounds that he was out of town and unable to monitor the exercise.
Describing the explanation as unacceptable, the party argued that it should not be punished for the absence or failure of an electoral official to perform assigned duties.
According to the party, the Electoral Act only requires political parties to notify INEC of their primaries, a requirement it insists was fully met. It maintained that the validity of its primary election cannot be invalidated by the absence of INEC officials during the exercise.
While reaffirming confidence in the leadership of INEC, the Labour Party called for an immediate investigation into the actions of officials involved in the matter and urged the commission to take appropriate disciplinary measures where necessary.
The party warned that denying it the opportunity to field a candidate in a by-election necessitated by the death of one of its serving senators would amount to a grave injustice and limit democratic choices for voters in Enugu North Senatorial District.
Labour Party members and supporters were also urged to remain peaceful and law-abiding as the matter is being determined by the court.
