Why the Labour Party’s logo can’t be found on some ballot papers in the ongoing elections

A video widely circulating online is suggesting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has deliberately omitted the Labour Party’s logo from the ballot papers in the ongoing Nigeria elections.

The continent's largest democracy is holding its presidential, senatorial and house of representative elections on February 25, with polling originally scheduled for 8.30 am and will end at 2.30 pm; all voters in queue before 2 pm would be allowed to vote.

“INEC e no go better for your papa.....no labour party logo on some ballot papers ......una go see madness .....go ask about me !!!!!!” a Twitter user posted on the micro blogging platform in pidgin English.

The video has since been viewed more than 1 million times on Twitter and generated more than 11 thousand engagements (retweets and likes)

What are the facts?

Checks from the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) final list of candidates for the national elections showed the Labour Party did not have a candidate approved to participate in the Lagos West Senatorial elections.

This has been subsequently confirmed by a Presiding officer, David Amosu:

“Yes there is no candidate…If you have any complain you have to go back to the INEC office to go and make your complain,” David Amosu stated when questioned by some concerned voters.

So, even though it is true that the Labour Party’s logo was not on some ballot papers, according to INEC officials that is only because the party did not field any candidate for the senatorial election in Lagos West.

Earlier, the Chairperson of the Labour Party in Lagos State, Dayo Ekong had in a statement criticized the removal of the party’s logo on the ballot papers and called for the postponement of the elections.

“Omitting the logo of the Labour Party, a major player in the Saturday elections from the ballot papers is not a small error. It is not something that anyone can just overlook. It is a deliberate attempt that INEC must own up to and they must quickly correct, otherwise, these elections can never be regarded as being transparent, free, fair and credible, because a lot of Nigerians, a lot of Lagosians will be disenfranchised from exercising their civic rights on Saturday.

“This is why we call on INEC to quickly do the needful by either they do the correction and put the Labour Party logo on the ballot papers or shift the elections but the important thing is that all our Labour Party candidates must be duly represented," he said.