By Omoniyi David
The Deputy National Youth Leader of the Labour Party (LP), Dr. Barry Avotu-Johnson, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to comply with a court order affirming Barr. Julius Abure as the party’s National Chairman.
Speaking during a peaceful protest at the INEC headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Avotu-Johnson demanded the immediate upload of the names of LP’s validly nominated candidates for the August 16, 2025 bye-elections.
“This is not asking for too much,” he said. “Justice and the rule of law are the hallmarks of democracy around the world. Nigeria should not be an exception.”
The protest, which drew candidates from the Abure-led faction of the party and members of various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), saw demonstrators wielding placards with inscriptions such as: “INEC, who is using you against LP?” “Mahmood, stop destroying democracy in Nigeria,” and “Tell INEC to obey court orders.”
FCT Labour Party Chairman, Mr. Peter Ugwu, also condemned the electoral commission’s failure to upload LP candidates’ names despite successful primaries.
“We conducted our primaries and elected candidates for this election. While INEC has uploaded the names of candidates from other parties, ours remain excluded. INEC should correct this anomaly,” Ugwu said.
CSO spokesperson, Mr. Peter Piper, added, “This is about democracy and the rule of law. An injury to one is an injury to all.”
Responding to the protest, INEC National Commissioner, Abdulahi Zuru, who represented the Commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu promised to convey the protesters’ concerns to the Commission’s leadership.
