The Labour Party has criticized the process and collation of results from Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly elections across the country, announcing its intention to challenge the outcome in court. The party claims that many of its members were deliberately disenfranchised through various means, particularly in areas where they have a strong presence. Alhaji Umar Ibrahim, the National Secretary of the Labour Party, issued a statement in Kaduna on Sunday, highlighting that while the party garnered significant votes in many parts of the North, its supporters faced obstacles such as violent intimidation, being chased away from polling units, and the destruction and burning of ballot papers and boxes.
Ibrahim pointed to specific states, including Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Kano, Yobe, and Edo, where these violations occurred, contravening the Electoral Act 2022 as amended. He noted that in some locations, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to deploy staff and electoral materials to areas known to be Labour Party strongholds or did so late, which disheartened supporters who eventually left polling units out of fear. He expressed concern over the delays in uploading and announcing results, particularly in regions where the Labour Party was leading, suggesting that these delays were intentional to provoke frustration among party members and supporters.
Furthermore, Ibrahim revealed that intelligence from the field indicated that in several northern states, voters identified as Labour Party supporters were systematically denied access to their polling units. Some INEC ad hoc staff allegedly colluded with others to mislead voters by claiming their polling units were different and directing them to incorrect locations. This tactic not only frustrated voters but also significantly reduced the number of votes the party received, which could have been much higher had the electoral process been conducted fairly.
In light of these issues, Ibrahim called on INEC to take action against its polling staff and to implement punitive measures in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended). He assured party members that the Labour Party would indeed challenge the election results in court. At the same time, he urged party members and supporters to remain calm, law-abiding, and to mobilize for the next round of elections as the party seeks to rectify the injustices experienced during the presidential and National Assembly elections.
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