THE LAGOS State chapter of the Labour Party has disputed the governorship candidate listed for the party by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that Comrade Lanre Adeleke emerged as its duly elected candidate at the party’s governorship primary held on May 30, 2026.
The party made its position known in a statement signed by its Lagos State official, Comrade Ola Agboola, ahead of a special press conference convened to address what it described as discrepancies surrounding the outcome of its governorship primary and the subsequent candidate listing.
According to the party, the primary was conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act, the Labour Party’s constitution and applicable INEC guidelines.
It said delegates from the 20 local government areas of Lagos State participated in the exercise, adding that Adeleke was the only aspirant present for the governorship ticket and was subsequently affirmed by the delegates.
The party said the outcome was announced by the primaries committee in the presence of party agents, INEC officials, security agencies and members of the media.
“Comrade Lanre Adeleke emerged as the duly elected Gubernatorial Candidate of the Labour Party in Lagos State,” the statement said.
The controversy, according to the Labour Party, arose after INEC published a candidate list containing a name different from Adeleke’s.
The party said it was surprised by the discrepancy and had since activated what it described as its internal mechanisms to address the matter.
It disclosed that its leadership had submitted formal petitions to the party’s National Working Committee and engaged relevant stakeholders over the issue.
The party further said legal action had been initiated by Adeleke to challenge the development and seek redress.
The Lagos Labour Party maintained that the objective of the legal and administrative steps was to ensure that the outcome of the primary, as determined by its members, was respected.
The development comes amid the formal processes through which political parties submit their candidates for elections and electoral authorities publish candidate information.
While the party described the discrepancy as potentially arising from administrative errors or political manipulation, it did not provide details in the statement on how the different name came to be submitted to or published by INEC.
The party said its special press conference was intended to clarify the sequence of events surrounding the primary and the subsequent candidate listing.
It also called on Labour Party members, Lagos residents and Nigerians to pay attention to what it described as the “true facts” of the primary, stressing the importance of internal democracy within political parties.
“We must collectively protect our democracy, defend the sanctity of the ballot — even within parties — and ensure that the voice of the people is not subverted by administrative errors or political manipulations,” the statement said.
The Party said it remained committed to resolving the dispute through peaceful and lawful means.
