The Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party (LP) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of attempting to undermine democracy by allegedly plotting to exclude the party’s candidates from the August 16, 2025 bye-elections despite a Supreme Court judgment affirming Abure as the party’s legitimate national chairman.

In a statement on Tuesday, the party’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, said the LP had taken legal action to challenge INEC’s alleged plans. He warned that if the electoral body proceeds without publishing the names of LP candidates and ensuring the party’s logo appears on the ballot, the election would be challenged in court and possibly nullified in line with the law.

Ifoh urged Nigerians to prevail on INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu to respect the constitution and the Electoral Act, citing Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2022, which allows any excluded political party to seek redress in court. He accused INEC of “gambling with huge national resources” by conducting elections that could later be annulled.

“We will not be helpless, as the law provides adequate remedies for any act or omission by the commission that shortchanges a political party or damages its image,” Ifoh said, questioning what interest INEC was protecting by “throwing the country into unnecessary crisis” and “incurring colossal financial waste.”

The party referenced an April 4, 2025 Supreme Court ruling affirming that party leadership matters are internal affairs, recalling its March 27, 2024 convention in Nnewi, where Julius Abure emerged as national chairman. “One wonders what the problem is with INEC,” the statement concluded.