INEC Disqualifies Labour Party From Edo Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the disqualification of Labour Party from the upcoming National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, scheduled for next week.
According to INEC, a total of nine political parties successfully submitted candidates for the elections, which will fill vacant seats in the Edo Central Senatorial District and the Ovia Federal Constituency. The vacancies arose following the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa as governor and deputy governor, respectively.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Edo State, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, while speaking at a press briefing in Benin City, clarified that the Labour Party did not officially notify the commission of its intention to contest the elections, nor was its primary monitored by INEC.
“From our records, the Labour Party and some other parties neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with the necessary procedures. In some cases, we arrived at venues, but the locations were shut, and no activity took place,” Onuoha explained.
This clarification comes despite earlier claims by the Labour Party that Paul Okojie had been nominated as its candidate for the Edo Central senatorial seat.
The nine political parties cleared to participate in the by-elections include Action Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Peoples Party (APP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Onuoha assured residents of the commission’s readiness to conduct a free, fair, and credible election, stating that non-sensitive election materials have already been deployed, and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been fully configured.
He also revealed that, of the 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas where the by-elections will take place, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, remain uncollected.
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
