The Federal High Court in Abuja has upheld the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude candidates of the Labour Party (LP) from the forthcoming Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), scheduled for February 21.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Peter Lifu declined to compel INEC to accept or publish the list of candidates submitted by the LP for the council polls. In a ruling that underscores the judiciary’s strict adherence to constitutional timelines, the court dismissed the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, filed by the party and its affected candidates.
The Labour Party had approached the court, arguing that INEC unlawfully excluded its duly nominated candidates when it published the final list of contestants in September 2025. The party further contended that its logo was also omitted from the list of political parties cleared to participate in the FCT elections.
According to the plaintiffs, a formal complaint was lodged with the INEC Chairman on September 8, 2025, followed by a reminder on October 2, 2025, but both letters were allegedly ignored. The party maintained that without judicial intervention, it would be unfairly shut out of the council polls.
However, Justice Lifu held that the matter squarely fell within the ambit of pre-election litigation as defined by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The court noted that while the suit was filed on October 7, 2025, the undisputed cause of action — the exclusion of the LP candidates — crystallised on October 22, 2025.
Relying on Section 285, paragraph 14(c) of the Constitution, the judge stressed that pre-election matters must be instituted within 14 days of the occurrence of the cause of action. Failure to comply with this constitutional window, the court ruled, was fatal to the case.
The judgment effectively closes the door on the Labour Party’s participation in the February council elections in the FCT, reinforcing INEC’s regulatory authority and signalling the courts’ resolve to uphold procedural discipline in electoral disputes.
