Labour Party sues INEC over Enugu North Senate exclusion

The Labour Party has filed a lawsuit against Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, alleging the wrongful exclusion of its candidate from a forthcoming senatorial byelection in Enugu State. The party initiated the legal action at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, June 8, 2026, seeking an injunction to prevent INEC from publishing a final candidate list without its nominee.

The byelection for the Enugu North Senatorial District is scheduled for June 20, 2026, following the death of the district's previous senator, Okey Ezea, a Labour Party lawmaker who died on November 18, 2025. According to the party's national spokesperson, Ken Asogwa, the Labour Party formally notified INEC on May 11 of its intention to hold a primary election on May 25. At that primary, Ambassador Simon Ejike Eze emerged as the party's consensus candidate.

The party asserts that despite complying with all statutory requirements, it was denied access to INEC's nomination portal to submit Eze's particulars. Efforts to resolve the issue, including formal protests and correspondence up until the submission window closed on June 2, reportedly yielded no result. In its court filing, the...