The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has explained its decision to deny the Labour Party (LP) access codes to upload candidates for the February 21, 2026 Federal Capital Territory Area Council elections.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Ewa-Messi, said the party remains entangled in a prolonged leadership dispute, which has led to multiple court cases.

Supporters of the Labour Party had protested at INEC headquarters in Abuja, accusing the commission of excluding their candidates from the election and demanding access codes. INEC, however, described the protest as unnecessary, noting that the matter is sub judice.

“The leadership crisis in the party culminated in a Supreme Court judgment on April 4, 2025, which held that the tenure of the National Executive Committee led by Julius Abure had expired,” the statement recalled. Despite this, the Abure-led faction reportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council election.

INEC added that subsequent court cases filed by the party to compel the Commission to issue access codes were either dismissed or are still pending. Although a High Court in Abuja granted an interim ex parte order on December 16, 2025, directing INEC to upload Labour Party candidates, the order expired after seven days and was not extended.

“With no subsisting court order, INEC will continue to respect the judicial process and await final decisions before taking action,” the commission said.

The development further complicates the FCT council polls, where the Labour Party was absent from the final list of cleared candidates released by INEC in September 2025, making it the only one among 16 registered parties without any candidate on the ballot.

The exclusion is linked to a factional dispute within the party, with rival groups led by Abure and Nenadi Usman — the latter backed by former presidential candidate Peter Obi and Abia State Governor Alex Otti — contesting party leadership.

The report also notes that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may face similar risks of disqualification due to its internal leadership issues.