Labour Party clears air on INEC candidates' upload claims

The Labour Party has refuted claims that it failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the Independent National Electoral Commission’s nomination portal closed. The party insists it finished the process four days before the deadline.

In a statement released in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Eluma Asogwa, called the reports “patently false” and “misleading.” He urged members and supporters to ignore such claims.

Asogwa stated that the party uploaded the names of all its nominated presidential, vice-presidential, and National Assembly candidates before the July 14 deadline given by INEC.

He noted that the names of the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates were uploaded on July 10, following the commission’s schedule and rules.

He said, “The Labour Party wishes to categorically state that it successfully completed the upload of the names of all its duly nominated candidates for the presidential and National Assembly elections ahead of the closure of the INEC nomination portal on July 14, 2026.

“Our attention has been drawn to media reports alleging that the party failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates before the expiration of the INEC deadline. This claim is patently false, misleading and exists only in the imagination of the purveyors of that fake news.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Labour Party successfully uploaded the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates on July 10, 2026, four clear days before the close of the INEC nomination window on July 14, 2026. The process was completed smoothly and in full compliance with the commission’s guidelines.”

The party also criticized the report, accusing the unnamed media organization of not checking the claim with its leadership.

“It is disturbing that a media organization would publish such a serious and misleading report without making the slightest effort to verify the information with the leadership of the Labour Party, especially when the story was supposedly sourced from an anonymous INEC official.

“This raises legitimate questions about the professional duty of the media organization involved and whether the publication was meant to serve some hidden political agenda rather than the public interest,” Asogwa said.

He added that he is confident that INEC’s publication of the final list of validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections will clear up the issue.

“As INEC publishes the final list of validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections, Nigerians will clearly see the names of all duly nominated candidates of the various political parties, including those of the Labour Party, thereby putting this baseless misinformation to rest,” he said.

Asogwa urged Nigerians to disregard the report, stating it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the party’s image before the elections.

“We therefore urge our members, supporters and the general public to disregard the fake report in its entirety. Those unsettled by the renewed strength, growing acceptance and increasing momentum of the Labour Party should prepare for the electoral contest ahead rather than resort to crude propaganda and discredited tactics.

“This latest attempt has collapsed under the weight of the facts, like a pack of cards,” he added.

The clarification comes as political activities rise with parties finalizing the nomination of candidates for the 2027 general elections, following INEC’s timetable.