The Independent National Electoral Commission on Wednesday commenced a comprehensive verification exercise at the national secretariat of the Labour Party in Abuja, deepening regulatory scrutiny of political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The INEC delegation, led by Mansur Hassan, is tasked with verifying the party’s leadership structure, membership register, financial records and compliance with statutory requirements, including proof of tenancy or ownership of its secretariat.
Addressing party stakeholders and journalists before the exercise began, Hassan outlined the scope of the verification, stressing that the mission goes beyond routine observation.
He said, “We are monitors, not observers. We are here to monitor and correct things, not to observe. We want to verify membership of the party executive and membership of the National Working Committee, as it is contained in your party constitution.
“We would also like to verify your tenancy agreement and receipt (of payment). We would also like to have a soft copy of your membership register. We want to have a look at evidence of the tenancy of this secretariat, the tenancy agreement and receipt of ownership or possession. We need to sight the documents and have a copy of each. Again, we are going to divide ourselves into groups to verify what is happening within the party.”
In her welcome address, the party’s interim National Chairman, Nenadi Usman, expressed readiness for the audit and reaffirmed the leadership’s commitment to rebuilding the party.
She said, “I know that most people found it difficult to come here today because our congresses are starting tomorrow and all politics is local. I have always said the party is not about me, it is not about anybody. We need to build a strong foundation for our party, whatever it takes, we will do it.
“Irrespective of anybody’s feelings or what they think about what we are doing. Without a strong political party, we really cannot make any meaningful progress.”
