The Labour Party (LP) has defended the disqualification of presidential aspirant, Arc. Peter Agada, insisting that the decision was based on a longstanding zoning arrangement reserving the party’s presidential ticket for the South.
The party’s reaction followed allegations by Agada that he was unfairly excluded from the presidential race after allegedly spending over ₦300 million on nomination processes and campaign activities.
Responding to the claims, the Labour Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Eluma Asogwa, said the zoning arrangement was neither sudden nor secretly introduced, but a well-established policy publicly affirmed from the beginning of the party’s present leadership structure.
According to him, the decision was formally ratified at the party’s national convention held on April 28, 2026, which he described as the highest decision-making organ of the party.
“The decision to zone the presidency to the South did not happen yesterday. It is a settled matter that was adopted long ago and ratified at the national convention,” Asogwa stated.
He stressed that resolutions reached at the convention are binding on all party organs, aspirants, and stakeholders, leaving no room for deviation.
Asogwa further argued that Agada’s decision to purchase nomination forms and continue campaign activities despite the public knowledge of the zoning arrangement amounted to a personal political risk.
“For those who chose to go against this zoning arrangement and proceeded to buy nomination forms, it is unfortunate,” he added.
On allegations that Agada expended over ₦300 million in pursuit of the presidential ticket, the party dismissed the claim as irrelevant to its constitutional position, insisting that financial commitments by aspirants cannot supersede validly adopted party resolutions.
The Labour Party maintained that the disqualification was neither targeted nor vindictive, but a constitutional enforcement of a collective decision aimed at preserving internal balance and party cohesion.
The controversy, however, has continued to stir tension within the party, with Agada’s supporters accusing the leadership of selective enforcement and procedural inconsistency ahead of the presidential primary.