The Labour Party has successfully concluded its primaries ahead of the June 20, 2026 by-elections scheduled by the to fill vacant legislative seats across the country.
The primaries, conducted across affected constituencies on Monday, produced a number of consensus candidates, with former Minister of Information, , emerging as the party’s flagbearer for the highly anticipated by-election.
The exercise, held at the party’s zonal office in Nasarawa North, reportedly witnessed a large turnout of party members and supporters who endorsed Maku’s candidacy through a consensus arrangement seen by stakeholders as a strategic move to consolidate party unity ahead of the polls.
In , seasoned diplomat emerged as the Labour Party’s candidate through what party officials described as a peaceful and rancour-free consensus process. Supporters across the senatorial district gathered in large numbers to affirm his candidacy as preparations intensify for the by-election.
Other candidates produced through the consensus arrangement include Engr. Sam Kinanee for , Barrister Ige Aiyeobasan Asemudara for , Abubakar Yahaya Muhammad for in Kano State, and Muhammad Aliyu Galadima for the by-election in Kebbi State.
The by-elections were necessitated by a series of political and tragic developments affecting the constituencies. The seats for Enugu North, Nasarawa North and Rivers South-East became vacant following the deaths of the senators representing the districts in the current 10th Senate.
The late , who represented Enugu North, reportedly died in a Lagos hospital on November 18, 2025, at the age of 62 after a brief illness. Until his death, he was widely regarded within the Labour Party as one of the few elected officials in Enugu State who remained loyal to the party amid the wave of defections that shook the opposition movement last year.
Similarly, Senator of Nasarawa North passed away on December 31, 2025, at the age of 52 following a prolonged illness, while Senator of Rivers South-East died on February 18, 2026, aged 64.
In Ondo South, the vacancy emerged following the resignation of Senator after his appointment by President as Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
The Labour Party commended the electoral commission for what it described as professionalism and diligence in supervising the primaries, insisting that the exercises were conducted peacefully, transparently and in accordance with democratic procedures.
In a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, , the party congratulated all successful candidates and urged members, supporters and democracy advocates across the affected constituencies to unite behind the candidates ahead of the June 20 polls.
The party further reiterated its commitment to the principles of social democracy, justice and equal opportunity, maintaining that the selected candidates possess the competence, integrity and political experience required to represent the interests of their people effectively.
