LP Fires Back, Insists ₦150 Million Nomination Fee Not Refundable

The Labour Party (LP) has addressed allegations of fraud and political sabotage by a disqualified presidential aspirant, Peter Agada.

Naija News understands that Agada is demanding a refund of the ₦150m paid to the party for his 2027 presidential nomination bid.

His demand was conveyed through a petition issued in Abuja on Saturday by his presidential campaign council, following his exclusion from the party’s presidential primary conducted on May 30.

The council accused the party leadership of collecting expression of interest and nomination form fees from Agada despite knowing that he would not be allowed to contest because of the party’s decision to zone its presidential ticket to the South.

Reacting to the allegation in an interview with Punch, the LP stated that Agada’s disqualification was in line with the party’s constitution and resolutions of its national convention.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, 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 were 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.

He said, “It is unfortunate that he chose to go against this zoning arrangement and proceeded to buy nomination forms.”

On allegations that Agada expended over ₦300m in pursuit of the presidential ticket, the party dismissed the claim as irrelevant to its constitutional position, insisting that financial commitments by aspirants cannot supercede validly adopted party resolutions.

The LP 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