Labour Party Denies Missing INEC Deadline, Says Candidates Uploaded July 10

The Labour Party has refuted reports alleging it failed to upload the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the 2027 general elections before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) closed its nomination portal, insisting that the process was completed four days before the deadline.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, the Labour Party said the names of its presidential candidate, Chibuzo Okereke, and vice-presidential candidate, Bintu Konto, were uploaded on July 10, 2026. The submission, according to the party, was completed seamlessly and in full compliance with INEC’s nomination guidelines and procedures.

“This claim is patently false, misleading and exists only in the imagination of the purveyors of that fake news,” Asogwa said of the reports alleging the party missed the deadline. “For the avoidance of doubt, the Labour Party successfully uploaded the names of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates on July 10, 2026, four clear days before the close of the INEC nomination window on July 14, 2026”.

The deadline for submissions had originally been fixed for July 11, 2026. However, INEC extended the deadline by three days to midnight on Tuesday, July 14, following appeals from the Inter-Party Advisory Council on behalf of political parties that reported technical difficulties.

Asogwa expressed concern over reports allegedly based on an anonymous INEC official, accusing the media organisation involved of failing to verify the information. He questioned whether the publication was “intended to serve some ulterior political objective rather than the public interest”.

INEC National Commissioner, Mohammed Haruna, had earlier listed the Labour Party among parties yet to make submissions as of July 11. However, the Labour Party maintained that its upload was completed before the extended deadline.

Asogwa noted that INEC had already released its timetable for publishing the final list of validly nominated candidates for the 2027 general elections, which would confirm the names of all duly nominated candidates, including those of the Labour Party.

The party urged its members, supporters and the public to disregard the reports, describing them as misinformation intended to undermine its political momentum.