INEC acting chair must be arrested over fake court order — LP

The Labour Party (LP), under the leadership of Senator Nenadi Usman, has demanded the immediate arrest of the Acting Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, over what it described as a “criminal conspiracy” with Julius Abure to manipulate the party’s leadership crisis through a forged court order.

In a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the party’s Interim National Spokesman, Toni Akeni, the LP accused Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu of deliberately violating a valid Supreme Court judgment by recognising Abure as the party’s chairman during a recent meeting with leaders of all registered political parties.

Akeni alleged that the INEC acting chair’s action was not only illegal but also amounted to “a calculated attempt to subvert justice and undermine Nigeria’s democracy.”

“What Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu has done is an outright assault on the rule of law,” Akeni said.

“She relied on a non-existent court order to validate Julius Abure’s claim, despite clear judicial pronouncements to the contrary. This kind of behaviour cannot be overlooked.”

According to him, the electoral body’s decision to invite Abure to Tuesday’s meeting was reckless and raised serious questions about INEC’s impartiality.

He noted that Mrs Agbamuche-Mbu had defended her action by claiming to be acting under a court directive.

However, the party’s investigations, Akeni said, revealed that there was no such court order in existence.

“Our request for a Certified True Copy (CTC) of the alleged order from the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Gwagwalada Division, was met with an official confirmation that no order was ever granted in that case,” he disclosed.

The statement referenced Suit No. CV/1914/2025 filed by Abure before Justice Kayode Agunloye but insisted that the court had issued no ruling recognising him as LP chairman.

“INEC cannot claim ignorance of the law,” Akeni continued. “If the acting chair insists she acted on a valid judgment, then she should produce it. Nigerians deserve transparency and honesty from those overseeing our elections.”

The Nenadi Usman-led faction urged relevant authorities to immediately investigate the matter and prosecute all those involved, warning that the credibility of the 2027 general elections could be compromised if such “abuses of office” go unpunished.

“This issue is beyond party politics,” Akeni concluded. “It’s about defending democracy and ensuring that no one, no matter their position, stands above the law.”