2023 Election: Faduri Insists Labour Party ‘Won’ as He Challenges INEC Over AA Dispute

Action Alliance presidential aspirant Joseph Faduri has claimed that the Labour Party won the 2023 presidential election, despite the Independent National Electoral Commission declaring Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress the winner.

Faduri made the claim on Thursday while appearing on Arise Television’s Morning Show, recalling his role in the Labour Party’s 2023 campaign and his prediction that Peter Obi would win the election.

“In 2022, I was the one who handed over the ticket to run for the election under the Labour Party, and I was here also to inform Nigerians that LP would win that election,” Faduri said. “And, like a joke, at the end of the day, we had Labour Party win that election.”

However, INEC’s official results show a different outcome. Tinubu received 8,794,726 votes and was declared elected, while Peoples Democratic Party candidate Atiku Abubakar polled 6,984,520 votes and Obi of the Labour Party received 6,101,533 votes.

Faduri also criticised INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan over the continuing leadership dispute within the Action Alliance, particularly the competing claims involving Kenneth Udeze. He argued that the commission should comply with a Court of Appeal decision which, according to him, supports Udeze’s claim to the party’s leadership.

The dispute has continued into preparations for the 2027 election. A coalition of civil society groups recently urged INEC to recognise Faduri as the AA presidential candidate, citing court decisions concerning Udeze’s leadership. INEC’s published party information, however, currently lists Adekunle Rufai Omoaje as the party’s national chairman by court order.

Faduri argued that the Court of Appeal, being a superior court to the High Court, should take precedence where conflicting decisions exist. He accused the electoral commission of continuing to rely on an earlier High Court order instead of the appellate court decision.

“So, if a kangaroo judgment was obtained from the High Court and the authentic leader of the party, Kenneth Udeze, went to a Court of Appeal in Abuja to say, ‘No, that man is not the authentic leader of the party,’ and the court upheld that, then you will imagine that an INEC Chairman, who is supposed to be a referee, should obey a court order,” he said.

The Action Alliance leadership dispute remains unresolved, with rival factions continuing to contest the party’s leadership and representation ahead of the 2027 general election.