By Our Correspondent
National News – The Labour Party has dismissed speculation that it may boycott the 2027 general elections, stating that its current focus is on correcting weaknesses that affected its performance during the 2023 polls.
The party said it is strengthening its grassroots structure and preparing more strategically for the next electoral cycle rather than aligning with calls for an election boycott.
The Interim National Chairman of the Labour Party, Nenadi Usman, clarified the party’s position during the unveiling of its electronic registration portal in Abuja.
She explained that each political party faces different challenges, noting that the Labour Party would not follow a “bandwagon approach” regarding calls by some political groups to boycott the 2027 elections.
Usman made the comments amid concerns raised by the Inter‑Party Advisory Council, which warned that political parties might boycott the polls if controversial provisions in the amended Electoral Act 2026 are not reviewed.
According to her, the party’s main lesson from the 2023 election was the lack of adequate polling agents across the country.
She explained that the absence of representatives at many polling units made it difficult for the party to gather and present credible documentary evidence during post-election court proceedings.
Usman said the party struggled to produce the crucial Form EC8A, which contains officially recorded results from each polling unit.
Without agents signing and collecting the forms nationwide, the party found it difficult to substantiate its claims during legal challenges.
To address this gap ahead of 2027, the Labour Party said it is expanding its grassroots network and ensuring that trained representatives will be deployed to every polling unit across the country.
She also revealed that the party is reintegrating labour unions into its operations, including members of the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria.
Their absence during the previous election, she noted, weakened the party’s field coordination and monitoring capacity.
With the renewed involvement of union members and improved grassroots mobilisation, the Labour Party believes it will be better prepared to document results properly and defend its position if electoral disputes arise in the future.
Usman stressed that the party’s strategy is to build a stronger institutional structure rather than depend solely on digital election result platforms.
