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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has ruled out the Labour Party from participating in next week’s National Assembly by-elections in Edo State, citing failure to meet the required electoral guidelines.
The Edo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Anugbum Onuoha, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Benin City, saying the Labour Party neither officially communicated its interest to contest nor held a valid primary monitored by the commission.
Naija News reports that this clarification comes amid earlier claims by the Labour Party that Paul Okojie had emerged as its candidate for the Edo Central Senatorial seat, a position now invalidated by INEC’s position.
“From our records, the Labour Party and some other parties neither invited us to observe their primaries nor complied with the necessary procedures,” Onuoha stated.
“In some cases, we arrived at venues, but the locations were shut, and no activity took place.”
Nine Political Parties Cleared for Poll
According to the Electoral Commission, a total of nine political parties will contest the by-elections scheduled to fill vacancies in the Edo Central Senatorial District and the Ovia Federal Constituency.
The vacancies followed the emergence of Senator Monday Okpebholo and Hon. Dennis Idahosa as the state’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates, respectively.
The cleared political parties 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)
- Zenith Labour Party (ZLP)
INEC Assures of Readiness, Calls for Media Support
Onuoha reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to deliver a free, fair, and credible election.
He noted that non-sensitive materials have already been deployed to the affected areas, while the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been fully configured.
Out of the 719,504 registered voters across the seven local government areas involved, 101,617 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) remain uncollected, he added.
Reacting to calls by the PDP for his removal, Onuoha said such demands were unfounded and insisted the commission’s internal structures make electoral compromise nearly impossible.
“Even if your relative is appointed to INEC, he cannot compromise the system,” he said. “The structure of the commission makes that impossible.”
He also appealed to the media and political stakeholders to support INEC in its mandate to conduct credible elections, assuring that all parties would be treated fairly in the electoral process.
The post Full List: INEC Disqualifies Labour Party, Clears Nine Parties For Edo by-elections appeared first on Naija News.
