The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed that the Labour Party will not be participating in the forthcoming National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, scheduled for next week.
The confirmation was made during a press briefing in Benin City by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State, Professor Anugbum Onuoha. According to him, a total of nine political parties successfully submitted candidates for the elections, which aim to fill vacant seats in the Edo Central Senatorial District and the Ovia Federal Constituency.
The vacancies were created following the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Honourable Dennis Idahosa as the newly elected governor and deputy governor of Edo State, respectively.
Professor Onuoha clarified that the Labour Party did not fulfil the necessary requirements to participate in the by-elections, citing a lack of formal communication and failure to conduct monitored primaries.
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“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,” the REC stated.
This announcement comes despite earlier claims by the Labour Party that it had nominated Mr Paul Okojie as its candidate for the Edo Central senatorial seat. However, INEC has insisted that no valid submission or procedural compliance was recorded from the party.
The nine political parties cleared to contest the elections are: 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).
Professor Onuoha assured Edo residents of INEC’s preparedness to conduct a transparent and credible election. He confirmed that non-sensitive election materials have already been deployed to the relevant areas, and that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been fully configured for use.
He also disclosed that of the 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas where the elections will be held, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected.
In response to calls from the PDP for his redeployment, the Edo REC dismissed the concerns and urged the media to work collaboratively with the commission to ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
“Even if your relative is appointed to INEC, he cannot compromise the system. The structure of the commission makes that impossible,” Onuoha remarked.
