INEC has disqualified Labour Party from Edo National Assembly By-Elections.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially disqualified the Labour Party (LP) from participating in the upcoming National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, citing non-compliance with electoral guidelines.
INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner in Edo State, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, made the announcement during a press briefing in Benin City on Thursday.
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According to him, the Labour Party failed to notify INEC of its intent to hold primary elections and did not invite the commission to observe any valid party primaries as required by law.
“From our records, the Labour Party and some other parties neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with the necessary procedures,” Onuoha stated.
“In some cases, we arrived at venues, but the locations were shut, and no activity took place.”
Labour Party Candidate Invalidated
This development comes despite earlier reports that Paul Okojie had emerged as LP’s candidate for the Edo Central Senatorial seat. INEC has now declared the candidacy invalid, effectively excluding the party from the ballot.
Nine Political Parties Cleared for Edo By-Elections
INEC confirmed that only nine political parties have been cleared to participate in the August 2025 by-elections to fill vacancies in:
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Edo Central Senatorial District
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Ovia Federal Constituency
These seats became vacant following the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the APC governorship and deputy governorship candidates, respectively.
The approved parties include:
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Action Alliance (AA)
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African Democratic Congress (ADC)
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All Progressives Congress (APC)
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Allied Peoples Movement (APM)
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Action Peoples Party (APP)
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Action Democratic Party (ADP)
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New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)
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Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
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Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
INEC Assures of Readiness, Dismisses Allegations
Onuoha assured the public of INEC’s preparedness for a free, fair, and credible election.
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Non-sensitive election materials have already been deployed.
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The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices have been fully configured.
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Out of 719,504 registered voters across the seven affected LGAs, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected.
Addressing calls by the PDP for his removal, Onuoha dismissed the allegations as baseless, emphasizing that INEC’s structure makes electoral compromise “virtually impossible.”
“Even if your relative is appointed to INEC, he cannot compromise the system. The structure of the commission makes that impossible.”
Media, Stakeholders Urged to Support INEC
Prof. Onuoha concluded by calling on media practitioners, political parties, and the public to support INEC in ensuring a peaceful and transparent electoral process.
