The Labour Party has described Saturday’s bye-elections conducted across several states as “a mockery of democracy” and a troubling signal ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Sunday, Ken Eluma Asogwa, Senior Special Adviser, Media to the party’s Interim National Chairman, Senator Nenadi Usman, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating widespread electoral malpractice in collusion with security agencies.
According to the party, incidents of vote-buying, rigging, and violence were recorded in states including Kaduna, Anambra, Ogun, Oyo, and Kano, casting doubt on the credibility of the exercise.
“If the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cannot conduct minor off-season elections with integrity, one shudders at the thought of how it intends to manage the nationwide polls of 2027,” the statement read.
The Labour Party also faulted INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu, alleging that the commission has failed to redeem its image since the disputed 2023 general elections.
Calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, the party warned that allowing such irregularities to persist could push Nigeria’s democracy “towards imminent collapse.”
“The charade witnessed yesterday must not be allowed to define future elections,” Asogwa said, adding that history would be unkind to the President if he permits electoral malpractice to become entrenched.
