By Taibat Ummi Yakubu 

The Labour Party has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging what it described as its wrongful exclusion from the forthcoming Enugu North Senatorial District by-election scheduled for June 20.

The party said it approached the court after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) allegedly failed to allow it upload the particulars of its candidate on the commission’s nomination portal despite fulfilling all statutory requirements.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Ken Asogwa, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.

The Enugu North Senatorial seat became vacant following the death of Senator Okey Ezea, who represented the district on the platform of the Labour Party until his demise on November 18, 2025.

According to Asogwa, the party made several attempts to resolve the issue with INEC before the deadline for submission of candidates on June 2, including lodging formal protests and engaging the commission through official correspondence.

He maintained that the party complied with all legal and administrative procedures required under the Electoral Act and INEC regulations in nominating its candidate for the by-election.

The Labour Party spokesman expressed concern over what he described as the unjustifiable exclusion of the party from an election in which it has a legitimate interest.

He particularly faulted reports that the Head of Elections and Party Monitoring in Enugu State declined to transmit the report of the party’s primary election on the grounds that he was out of town when the exercise was conducted.

Describing the explanation as unacceptable, Asogwa argued that the absence of an electoral official should not invalidate a political party’s compliance with electoral procedures.

“Labour Party cannot be made to suffer the consequences of an official’s absence, negligence, incompetence or dereliction of duty,” he said.

He further noted that if the official was unavailable, INEC ought to have made alternative arrangements to monitor and document the primary election.

Asogwa stressed that the Electoral Act only requires political parties to notify INEC of their primary elections, a condition he said the Labour Party fully met.

He added that neither the Electoral Act nor INEC’s regulations make the physical presence of commission officials a prerequisite for the validity of a party primary.

While reaffirming the party’s confidence in INEC’s leadership, Asogwa called on the commission to investigate the conduct of its officials in Enugu State and sanction anyone found responsible for the situation.

He warned that denying the Labour Party the opportunity to field a candidate in a by-election necessitated by the death of one of its serving senators would amount to a serious injustice and could limit the democratic choices available to voters in the senatorial district.

The party expressed confidence in the judiciary and urged its members and supporters to remain peaceful while the court determines the matter.