The Labour Party in Nasarawa State has formally rejected the results of the 2nd November Local Government chairmanship and councilorship elections, which saw the All Progressives Congress (APC) winning all 13 Local Government Areas (LGAs). Alexander Ombugu, the state chairman of the Labour Party, voiced the party’s concerns during a State Executive Council meeting with candidates from the recent elections.

Ombugu expressed dissatisfaction with the election process, alleging that the Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission (NASIEC) had misled the party into participating by promising a fair election while appearing to favor the APC. He emphasized that had NASIEC not made such assurances, the Labour Party would not have entered the race.

The party claimed that NASIEC appointed APC supporters as electoral officers across the state, manipulating election results in favor of the ruling party. Ombugu also highlighted the issue surrounding Hon. Ede Osu, a chairmanship candidate for Nassarawa LGA, who was unable to complete his N550,000 deposit payment due to his name not appearing on the list of candidates. Ombugu called for a refund of this deposit, arguing that the denial of participation was unjust.

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Additionally, Ombugu raised concerns about election materials being absent in Ungwar Rimi electoral ward of Keffi LGA, preventing councilorship candidate Hon. Friday Ozeegee Haruna from participating in the elections.

“We are deeply dissatisfied with the outcome of the elections,” Ombugu stated. “The process was not an election but a selection. Most of the residents did not participate, and yet NASIEC went ahead to declare winners.”

The Labour Party is calling for a review of the election results, claiming that the elections were neither credible nor free and fair, as promised by the electoral body.

In a related issue, the Labour Party in Nasarawa also raised alarms about alleged impersonation in Lafia LGA, where unknown individuals are reportedly using the party’s logo and symbols at an office space. Ombugu called on security agencies to investigate, clarifying that the Labour Party no longer operates from its previous office in Lafia and that any activities at the location are unauthorized.

Following the election, NASIEC declared the APC victorious in all 13 chairmanship races and 140 councilorship seats, while the Social Democratic Party and Zenith Labour Party won five and two councilorship positions, respectively.