A Federal High Court ruling has upheld INEC’s exclusion of the Labour Party from the FCT Area Council elections, citing constitutional time limits and jurisdictional issues.
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has affirmed the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to exclude candidates of the Labour Party (LP) from participating in the forthcoming Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
IThe judgement, delivered on Wednesday by Justice Peter Lifu, effectively ends the party’s bid to be included in the local government polls scheduled for February 21.
Justice Lifu dismissed a suit filed by the Labour Party and its affected candidates, declining to compel INEC to accept, recognise, or publish the list of nominees submitted by the party for the election.
The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, sought judicial intervention following INEC’s refusal to include the LP in its final candidates’ list.
In its argument before the court, the Labour Party claimed that INEC acted unlawfully by excluding its duly nominated candidates from the official list released in September 2025.
The plaintiffs maintained that all required procedures had been followed during the nomination process and insisted that the omission amounted to a violation of their constitutional and electoral rights.
According to the party, the Labour Party exclusion denied it a fair opportunity to participate in grassroots governance within the FCT.
The party further alleged that beyond the removal of its candidates’ names, INEC also failed to include the LP’s logo among the political parties cleared to contest the elections.
The plaintiffs told the court that this omission was not accidental, but rather a deliberate administrative decision that undermined the party’s political standing and electoral prospects.
Court documents revealed that the Labour Party formally wrote to the INEC Chairman on September 8, 2025, raising concerns over the exclusion.
A follow-up letter was also dispatched on October 2, 2025, after no response was received.
The party claimed that despite these efforts, the electoral commission neither corrected the alleged error nor provided an official explanation, thereby forcing the matter before the court.
However, in his ruling, Justice Lifu emphasized that the dispute squarely fell within the category of pre-election matters as defined by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He explained that such cases are governed by strict timelines, which courts are bound to observe without discretion.
According to the judge, constitutional compliance outweighs political considerations, regardless of the grievances raised.
The court noted that while the suit was filed on October 7, 2025, the actual cause of action—INEC’s final exclusion of Labour Party candidates—occurred on October 22, 2025.
Under Section 285, Paragraph 14(c) of the Constitution, any pre-election lawsuit must be instituted within 14 days from the date the cause of action arises. Justice Lifu held that this constitutional window had elapsed before the court could validly intervene.
As a result, the judge ruled that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter, declaring the suit statute-barred.
He stressed that once a case falls outside the constitutionally prescribed timeframe, the court is stripped of the authority to adjudicate, regardless of the merits of the claim. This finding effectively sealed the fate of the Labour Party exclusion from the FCT polls.
Justice Lifu also drew attention to the existence of a similar case involving the same parties pending before a High Court in Nasarawa State.
He observed that the parallel proceedings created the impression of forum shopping, a practice frowned upon by the judiciary.
According to the court, litigants must not attempt to pursue the same grievance in multiple jurisdictions in the hope of obtaining a favourable outcome.
Consequently, the court dismissed the suit in its entirety and refused to grant any of the reliefs sought against INEC.
The judgement reaffirmed the commission’s authority to manage electoral processes within the bounds of the law and underscored the importance of adhering strictly to constitutional timelines in election-related disputes.
Political observers note that the Labour Party exclusion is closely linked to the party’s prolonged internal leadership crisis, which has resulted in competing factions submitting different lists of candidates.
INEC had previously cited the unresolved leadership tussle as the basis for its decision not to recognise any of the submitted lists for the FCT elections.
With the court’s decision now reinforcing INEC’s stance, the Labour Party will remain absent from the ballot in the upcoming Area Council elections.
The ruling serves as a reminder to political parties of the legal consequences of internal disunity and procedural lapses, particularly during sensitive electoral periods. For now, the Labour Party exclusion stands, reshaping the political landscape of the FCT council contests.
