Court Upholds Exclusion of Labour Party from FCT Polls Due to Legal Technicality

The Federal High Court in Abuja upheld the exclusion of the Labour Party (LP) from the forthcoming FCT area council elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the grounds of a statutory bar related to the filing timeframe. Justice Peter Lifu dismissed the LP's suit against INEC, citing that the case was not filed within the legal timeframe.

The LP had argued that INEC unlawfully excluded its candidates from the final list published in September 2025. This ruling has implications for the LP's participation in the FCT council elections, highlighting a legal dispute between the party and INEC.