Labour Party Won’t Participate in Edo State National Assembly By-Elections – INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the exclusion of Labour Party in the upcoming National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, scheduled for next week.

The by-elections became necessary following election of Governor Monday Okpebholo and his Deputy Dennis Idahosa that left vacant seats in Edo Central Senatorial District and Ovia Federal Constituency, respectively.

According to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Edo State, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, the Labour Party failed to notify INEC of its intent to contest the elections and did not have its primary election monitored by the commission.

“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,” Onuoha stated.

This statement contradicts earlier claims by the Labour Party, which had announced Paul Okojie as its candidate for the Edo Central senatorial seat.

INEC confirmed that nine political parties successfully submitted candidates for the by-elections.

These include 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).

Onuoha reassured of INEC’s preparedness to conduct a free, fair, and credible election.

He noted that non-sensitive election materials have been deployed and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) is fully configured.

He pointed out that, of the 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas where the by-elections will occur, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected.

Addressing demands from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for his redeployment, the REC dismissed the concerns, emphasizing the integrity of INEC’s processes.

“Even if your relative is appointed to INEC, he cannot compromise the system. The structure of the commission makes that impossible,” he asserted.

The Edo REC urged the media to support INEC in ensuring a transparent electoral process.

The by-elections, set to take place next week, are expected to proceed smoothly as INEC finalises preparations to deliver a credible outcome for Edo State residents.