Labour Party Rejects Plan to Boycott 2027 Polls

The Labour Party (Nigeria) has stated that it will take part in the 2027 general elections and has no plan to withdraw from the process.

The clarification was given in Abuja on Saturday by the party’s interim national chairman, Nenadi Usman, during the unveiling of the party’s electronic registration portal. She spoke while addressing questions about the party’s position amid political debates over the recently amended Electoral Act.

The statement came at a time when the Inter‑Party Advisory Council had warned that political parties might withdraw from the 2027 elections if certain parts of the Electoral Act 2026 amendment are not reviewed. Despite the warning from the council, the Labour Party said it is focusing on strengthening its structure and correcting the problems that affected its outing in the 2023 elections.

Party officials explained that the main concern for the Labour Party is not the issue of electronic transmission of results but its ability to deploy agents across all polling units in the country.

During the 2023 presidential election, the party struggled to defend its claims about the results because it did not have representatives in many polling centres nationwide. This created problems when the party tried to present documents in court to support its case after the election.

According to party leaders, the absence of agents in many polling units meant that important election forms that record results at the polling level were not collected in several locations.

Without these documents, the party had limited evidence when it attempted to challenge the outcome of the election in court. The experience exposed weaknesses in the party’s field organisation and election monitoring system.

As a result, the party has started rebuilding its grassroots network in preparation for the next election cycle. Leaders say the new strategy focuses on ensuring that the party has trained representatives at every polling unit across the country before the 2027 polls. This approach is intended to prevent a repeat of the problems encountered in the previous election.

The party has also begun efforts to strengthen cooperation with labour unions that traditionally form part of its political base. During the last election cycle, members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria were not fully involved in election activities, which weakened the party’s presence at polling stations in many areas.

The new leadership is working to bring these groups back into the party’s election structure.

Officials believe that involving union members across the country will help the party deploy more agents and volunteers during elections. With wider participation from labour organisations, the party hopes to have better coverage in polling units and improved documentation of results.

Another focus for the party is proper record keeping during elections. Leaders say the party will now ensure that all necessary documents from polling units are collected and stored. This is expected to help the party defend its results more effectively if disputes arise after future elections.

Party leaders also noted that each political party has its own challenges and priorities. Because of this, the Labour Party does not intend to follow calls for a joint boycott of the elections by other political groups. Instead, it plans to address its own internal issues and build stronger structures ahead of the next national polls.

While discussions about the Electoral Act continue among political stakeholders, the Labour Party says its attention remains on improving its organisation, expanding its grassroots presence, and preparing for active participation in the 2027 general elections.

Leaders believe that correcting the weaknesses observed in 2023 will place the party in a stronger position when Nigerians return to the polls in the next election cycle.