Justice Peter Lifu, delivering judgment in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, declined to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include or publish the party’s candidates.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled that Labour Party (LP) candidates cannot participate in the upcoming Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on February 21.

Justice Peter Lifu, delivering judgment in suit FHC/ABJ/CS/2110/2025, declined to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to include or publish the party’s candidates.

The court held that the case was filed too late, noting that the Labour Party did not bring the suit within the 14-day period required by law.

The LP and its candidates had argued that they were properly nominated but were wrongly excluded when INEC released the final list of contestants in September 2025.

They also claimed their party logo was missing from the list of approved parties.

The plaintiffs said they wrote to INEC on September 8, 2025, and sent a follow-up reminder on October 2, 2025, protesting their exclusion, but received no response.

They contended that without court intervention, they would be unfairly prevented from participating in the elections.

Justice Lifu, however, dismissed the case, affirming INEC’s position that the legal time limit for filing the challenge had expired.

(NAN)

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