By Correspondent in Abuja.
An Abuja High Court has warned the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, against disregarding its orders directing the recognition of all Labour Party (LP) candidates for the forthcoming Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Area Council elections.
Our correspondent recalls that r Justice J. O. E. Adeyemi-Ajayi, on December 16, ordered INEC to grant the LP access codes to enable it upload the names and particulars of its nominated candidates for the poll.
The warning followed the alleged refusal of the commission to comply with the court order.
The warning is contained in a document labelled “Form 48,” titled “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Order of this Honourable Court Made on the 16th Day of December 2025.”
The document, issued by the court registrar on December 29 and sighted in Abuja on Wednesday, was personally addressed to the INEC chairman.
Part of the notice reads:
“Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this attached court order, to wit:
“That an interim injunction is hereby granted directing the defendant (the commission) to grant access codes to the claimant/applicant to upload the names and particulars of their nominated candidates for the FCT Area Council election scheduled to hold in February 2026, within 48 hours, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.
“That an interim injunction is hereby granted directing the defendant (the commission) to upload the names and particulars of the claimant/applicant’s nominated candidates for public scrutiny within 48 hours, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“And take further notice that you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to a Nigerian Correctional Centre.”
Justice Adeyemi-Ajayi issued the orders while ruling on an ex parte motion for interim injunctions filed by the Labour Party and moved by its counsel, Mr. Christian Elom.
The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until January 27, 2026, for the hearing of the motion on notice.
The motion, marked M/16037/2025, was filed alongside the substantive suit marked FCT/HC/CV/4930/2025, with INEC listed as the sole defendant/respondent.
In an affidavit in support of the motion, the LP said it approached the court after INEC allegedly failed to publish the names of its candidates for the February 2026 Area Council elections, despite being duly notified.
The party stated that it gave notice of its primary elections to INEC within the timeframe stipulated by law and, after conducting the primaries, submitted,within the 180 days prescribed,the list of candidates that emerged, in the required forms.
The LP argued that INEC is statutorily obliged to publish the particulars of candidates within seven days of receipt in the constituencies where they intend to contest.
It added that the law further mandates INEC to, at least 150 days before the election, publish by display at its relevant offices and on its official website the full names and addresses of nominated candidates.
The party wondered why INEC failed to perform these statutory responsibilities.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
