A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to grant the Labour Party an access code to upload the names and particulars of its nominated candidates for the FCT Area Council elections scheduled for February 2026.
The court also directed INEC to upload and publish the LP’s candidates’ names and particulars across the six area councils in the FCT for public scrutiny within 48 hours, pending the determination of a motion on notice filed by the party.
Justice J. O. E. Adeyemi-Ajayi issued the orders on December 16 while ruling on an ex parte motion for interim injunctions filed by the LP and moved by its counsel, Christian Elom. A certified true copy of the enrolled orders, marked M/16037/2025, was sighted on Thursday.
In her ruling, the judge granted an interim injunction directing INEC to provide the LP with the required access code and to upload and publish the candidates’ particulars within 48 hours, pending the hearing of the substantive motion.
Justice Adeyemi-Ajayi noted that the interim injunction, having been granted ex parte, would lapse after seven days unless extended by the court before its expiration. She also ordered an accelerated hearing of the substantive motion and adjourned the matter to January 27, 2026, for the hearing of the motion on notice.
In a supporting affidavit, the LP stated that it approached the court after INEC allegedly failed to publish the names of its candidates despite timely notification. The party said it had conducted primaries in line with legal provisions and submitted the list of candidates within the 180-day period prescribed by law using the required forms.
The LP further argued that INEC is statutorily obliged to publish the particulars of nominated candidates within seven days of receipt and, at least 150 days before the election, display the full names and addresses of candidates at its offices and on its website. The party accused INEC of failing to discharge these duties, prompting its recourse to the court for relief.
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