Supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, under the banner of the Northern Obidient Youth Assembly (NOYA), have called on the National Assembly to launch an urgent investigation into alleged systemic manipulation of candidate lists and judicial reversals on electoral matters.

The group alleged that a coordinated scheme involving unlawful disqualification of candidates and delayed court-ordered corrections has turned Nigeria’s electoral process into “cash-and-court racket,” undermining internal party democracy and eroding public trust in elections.

Their outcry follows the exclusion of candidates submitted by the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party from the final list published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the August 16 bye-elections.

In a statement issued in Abuja by NOYA Coordinator, Abdullahi Suleiman, on Wednesday, the group said this was only the latest instance in a growing trend where lawfully nominated candidates are delisted, only to be reinstated by courts after significant political damage has been done.

According to him, the manipulation of candidate lists under the guise of court compliance has created a two-tiered justice system, one for politically connected candidates who can afford expensive legal battles, and another for ordinary aspirants denied timely access to justice.

“The corrected names often appear so late that meaningful participation in elections becomes nearly impossible. It is a profit-driven racket at the expense of democracy. Lawfully nominated candidates are either omitted or replaced on party lists in violation of internal party democracy, only to be reinstated later by court rulings,” he said.

According to him, this pattern is not due to administrative errors but deliberate manipulation, saying “they are politically influenced moves that force candidates into costly and time-consuming legal battles just to reclaim their rightful positions.”

He further alleged that some corrupt elements within the system receive tens of millions of naira to alter candidate lists, confident that the courts will later reverse the fraud without accountability.

NOYA warned that unless the trend is urgently addressed, the integrity of the 2027 general elections could be compromised.

The group called on the National Assembly to order a forensic audit of the alterations made to candidate lists, and investigate any financial trail linking these reversals to corrupt practices. (The Guardian)