High-Stakes Drama: INEC, Four Major Parties Lock Horns Over Poll Candidates

With less than 48 hours to Saturday’s by-elections across 12 states, tensions are running high as major political parties lock horns with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the final list of candidates.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The polls, set to fill two senatorial seats, five federal constituencies, and nine state constituencies, will see 3,553,659 registered voters casting ballots in 32 local government areas, 356 wards, and 6,987 polling units. Senatorial battles will be fought in Anambra South and Edo Central, while federal contests are scheduled in Edo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Ogun, and Oyo. Nine state assembly seats in Adamawa, Anambra, Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Niger, Taraba, and Zamfara are also at stake.

Labour Party Faces Uncertainty
The Labour Party’s participation remains in limbo after INEC struck out candidates submitted by the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee. LP’s national publicity secretary, Obiora Ifoh, confirmed the matter is now in court, while affected candidates and civil society groups have staged protests demanding reinstatement. But the party’s interim leadership, led by Senator Nenadi Usman, supports INEC’s decision, insisting the excluded aspirants emerged from “illegal primaries.”

SDP Pins Hopes on Court Ruling
The Social Democratic Party is also awaiting judicial clearance of its candidates. National Secretary, Dr. Olu Agunloye, expressed confidence in a favourable ruling, urging members to remain calm.

Edo PDP Accuses REC of Bias
In Edo State, PDP caretaker chairman Tony Aziegbemi has demanded the removal of Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Anugbum Onuaha over alleged bias. Onuaha dismissed the claims, insisting elections are “a process, not an event,” and pledging to keep his “conscience alive.”

Peace Pacts and Campaign Heat
In Oyo, parties signed a peace accord ahead of the Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election, while police ordered market closures and movement restrictions on election day. Adamawa parties also signed a peace deal amid PDP allegations that APC is using flood relief materials to woo voters — a charge APC denies.

Zamfara, Anambra, and Taraba are witnessing intense campaigns, with heavyweights on both PDP and APC sides battling for dominance. In Kano’s Bagwai/Shanono constituency, the ADC has boycotted the poll, citing past violence, while the NNPP vows to unseat the APC.

In Kogi’s Dekina-Okura constituency, five parties are on the ballot following the death of the former deputy speaker. The state’s REC has assured full readiness, with election materials already in place.