The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 21, 2026, for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections, but excluded the Labour Party candidates from the upcoming election, citing the Supreme Court rulings.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commission’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mrs. Victoria Eta-Messi, said the Labour Party’s challenge stemmed from “prolonged internal leadership disputes since 2024,” which, it noted, were settled by the Supreme Court in April 2025″.

According to the commission, the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC/CV/56/2025 (Usman v. Labour Party) “unequivocally held that the tenure of the Barr. Julius Abure-led National Executive Committee had expired.”

INEC added that despite the judgment, “the Abure-led faction purportedly conducted primaries for the August 16, 2025, bye-election nationwide and the FCT Area Council Election.”

The commission further recalled that the Abure-led faction had earlier challenged its exclusion from the August 2025 bye-election at the Federal High Court, Abuja, but the suit was dismissed.

It said judgment delivered on August 15, 2025, “enforced the Supreme Court’s position that Barr. Julius Abure was no longer recognised as the National Chairman of the Labour Party and thus upheld the decision of INEC to exclude the Labour Party from the bye-election.”

INEC disclosed that the party subsequently filed several suits in different courts, all seeking orders to compel the commission to issue access codes for the FCT Area Council election.

These include cases at the Nasarawa State High Court, the Federal High Court in Abuja, and two divisions of the FCT High Court.

The Labour Party’s Vice Presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, formally declared his interest in contesting the presidency in 2027.

Baba-Ahmed, 56, the running mate to former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, made the declaration at a rally held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.

Baba-Ahmed ‘s announcement comes barely one week after Obi announced his exit from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

This move has triggered intense debate over the party’s future and the direction of the wider opposition ahead of the next general election.

Speaking during a press briefing at the Labour Party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Baba-Ahmed made it clear that he would not follow Obi to the ADC.

He said, “I have made myself to contest for the office in 2027. I’m not following anybody’s trajectory or stepping into anybody’s shoes.

“Can I please remind you that before His Excellency Governor Peter Obi filed for the presidency, I aspired for the presidency before him? The records are there for you to see.”

“In October 2018, I participated in the primaries of the then PDP in Port Harcourt and walked to Obi for his vote, and he smiled at me. What a gentleman he was.

“If you heard me well in what I just submitted, I saw a rare opportunity for national unity to have elected Peter Obi in 2023. And that is why I decided to flow with it,” he said.

Vows to Resist in New Coalition Effort

In a strongly worded statement, the media office of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration of systematically weakening opposition parties in Nigeria, aiming to establish a de facto one-party state amid ongoing economic hardships.

The press release, issued on Tuesday, describes the past three years under Tinubu as one of the harshest periods in recent Nigerian history, marked by “punishing economic policies and shrinking democratic space.”

It claims the All Progressives Congress (APC) government is pursuing a “calculated effort to eliminate political alternatives,” leaving the ruling party dominant “by default, not by merit.

“According to the statement signed by Paul Ibe of the Atiku Media Office, opposition leaders have responded by rallying around the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as a “nucleus of a credible national alternative.” The ADC is portrayed as being on a “national rescue mission,” with Atiku and other figures central to the initiative.

The release directly addresses recent external pressures on the ADC, alleging that “agents aligned with the Presidency” are attempting to destabilize the party by interfering in its internal affairs, particularly regarding the selection of a presidential candidate.

It rejects any calls for Atiku to “step aside,” labeling such demands as “a gift to authoritarian ambition and a betrayal of the Nigerian people.

“Emphasizing the ADC’s commitment to an “open, transparent, and competitive process” for choosing its flagbearer, the statement warns that “APC proxies and external meddlers have no standing to intimidate, blackmail, or sabotage this democratic resolve.”

It notes the party is currently focused on building grassroots structures at ward, local government, and state levels, urging “disruptors and infiltrators” to cease interference.

The ADC remains “open and welcoming to all genuine opposition figures,” the release states, highlighting inclusiveness as the “soul of democracy.”

It asserts that when the nomination process begins, “all qualified aspirants will present themselves freely,” and no one is stepping down. In a pointed remark, it suggests that if anyone should step aside, it is President Tinubu, whose leadership is described as a “national liability.

“The statement references the recent public declaration of ADC membership by former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi in Enugu, which it says prompted “open boasts” from a serving minister and presidential aides about plans to undermine the party.

“Their fear is evident,” it adds.Concluding with a defiant tone, the release declares the ADC’s determination to “end the misfortune imposed by the Tinubu-led APC,” insisting that no amount of “intimidation, intrigue, or sabotage” will derail its mission. “Nigeria will not surrender its democracy without a fight,” it states.

This development comes amid growing political tensions in Nigeria, as opposition groups seek to consolidate ahead of future elections. Neither the Presidency nor the APC has immediately responded to the allegations.