Civil society organisations aligned with the Julius Abure led faction of the Labour Party (LP) staged a protest at the National Headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, demanding the inclusion of the party’s candidates in the forthcoming nationwide bye-elections.
The demonstrators, who arrived at the INEC office around 11:00 a.m., carried placards with messages such as “INEC, who is using you against LP,” “Mahmood stop destroying democracy in Nigeria,” and “Tell INEC to obey court orders.” They called on the electoral body to comply with court rulings and recognise the Abure-led faction’s candidates.
But in a swift reaction, the leadership of the LP dissociated itself from the protest.
In a statement signed by Ken Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser on Media to the party’s Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, the party described the protesters as “impostors” and “political impersonators,” insisting that it had no hand in the demonstration.
The party further cautioned the public to disregard the protest, stressing that those involved did not represent the official position of the Labour Party.
