The Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the exclusion of Labour Party (LP) candidates from the February 21 area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Delivering judgment in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, Justice Peter Lifu declined to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept or publish LP’s list of candidates. The court ruled that the suit was statute-barred, as it was not filed within 14 days of the cause of action.
The Labour Party had argued that its candidates were duly nominated but were unlawfully excluded when INEC published the final list of contestants in September 2025. The party also protested the omission of its logo from the authorized parties’ list. Despite sending letters to the INEC Chairman on September 8 and October 2, 2025, no response was received.
Justice Lifu dismissed the suit, upholding INEC’s decision to exclude Labour Party candidates from the upcoming elections.
