LP petitions police, DSS, alleges illegal distribution of nomination forms

By John Alechenu

Labour Party has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, IGP, and the Department of State Services, DSS, over alleged illegal distribution of nomination forms by a former national chairman of the party, Julius Abure.

The party also rescheduled primary elections to Saturday, May 30, 2026, saying the governorship and state House of Assembly primaries earlier fixed for May 27, as well as presidential and National Assembly primaries slated for May 29, would now hold simultaneously on the said date.

The party’s National Chairman, Sen. Nenadi Usman, who addressed newsmen on the sidelines of the party’s screening of aspirants for primaries, yesterday in Abuja, said that copies of the petitions written to the IGP and the DSS had also been forwarded to Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

She described the alleged circulation of the forms as unlawful, insisting that the leadership elected at the party’s Umuahia convention remained the recognised one.

“We received the news surprisingly. It was a big surprise because after the court said his (Abure’s) tenure was over, we went to Umuahia, held a national convention and elected new leaders.

“INEC was there and recognised what we did. The names on INEC’s website are those voted for in Umuahia, and then he comes and starts distributing forms?” Asked if the party had been served with any notice of the appeal, the LP chairman said that the party had yet to be served with any, regarding Abure’s alleged appeal to the Supreme Court.

“My take is that the Supreme Court will maintain its stand. If a court says my tenure is over tomorrow, I cannot go back to say it is not over,” she said.

She alleged that some aspirants had been misled into purchasing unauthorised forms.

“One man came here to tell me his wife was contesting, and when I looked at the form, it was not the form we issued.

“They are deceiving people and it is not right at all,” she said.

On the postponment of its primaries, the party explained that the adjustment became necessary because the earlier dates coincided with two major national events. 

May 27 coincides with the 2026 Eid el-Kabir celebration, while May 29 marks the third anniversary of the inauguration of elected public office holders across the country.

The party said it adjusted the schedule to enable members, aspirants, supporters and Nigerians to observe the occasions fully.

The LP regretted any inconvenience the change might cause and thanked aspirants, stakeholders and members for their understanding and cooperation.

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