By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has displayed the names of political parties and candidates contesting the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly elections in Ogun State, with the Labour Party (LP) conspicuously missing.
Investigation at the INEC State Headquarters located in the Magbon area of Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, revealed that 16 political parties and their candidates were pasted on the walls and entrance gate of the commission’s premises on Friday evening for easy viewing by members of the public.
Surprisingly, the Labour Party was not among them, suggesting that the party may not participate in those segments of the 2027 general elections in the Gateway State.
The political parties displayed included Accord Party, African Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP), African Action Congress (AAC), African Democratic Congress (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Boot Party (BP) and National Rescue Movement (NRM).
Others are New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP), Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA), National Democratic Congress (NDC) and NDP.
Of the 16 parties on display, only eight — Accord, ADC, APC, APM, NDP, NNPP, PDP and SDP — fielded governorship candidates as well as candidates for the State House of Assembly.
The governorship candidates are: Okewole Shuaib Olaniyi (Accord), Jimi Adebisi Lawal (ADC), Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (APC), Babajide Rotimi Matthew (APM), Dasaolu Lekan (NDP), Akinbola Rotham (NNPP), Oladipupo Adebutu (PDP) and Ola Williams Penuel (SDP).
Those that fielded only Assembly candidates are AAC, APP, DLA, YPP, NDC, Boot Party and NRM.
Commenting on the absence of the Labour Party from the 2027 governorship and State House of Assembly races in Ogun State, a chieftain of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, said the LP was in court over its leadership crisis and that, until the matter was resolved, INEC might not know which group to recognise.
