- The Southwest Labour Party has labeled the redeployment of Osun Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mutiu Agboke, to Ondo State as an illegal act that bypasses presidential and senate authority.
- LP Chieftain Abayomi Arabambi claims the move was triggered by a partisan petition from the Osun APC Chairman, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent for electoral independence.
- The party is calling for a binding directive to prevent the transfer of any REC within 90 days of an election to ensure the integrity of the upcoming August 2026 Osun governorship poll.
The Labour Party (LP) has officially challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the sudden transfer of Barrister Mutiu Agboke, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Osun State.
Eko Hot Blog reports that at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, April 16, 2026, the party described the administrative move as a “clear breach” of the 1999 Constitution.
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The National Vice Chairman (South West) of the LP, Abayomi Arabambi, argued that because RECs are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, lacks the unilateral power to remove or redeploy them at his discretion.
The transfer, which occurred on April 8, comes just months ahead of the Osun State governorship election scheduled for August 2026.
Arabambi alleged that the redeployment was an “executioner’s” response to a petition filed by the Osun State APC Chairman.
“To remove a man from his post based on a partisan petition without due process is to impugn his integrity,” Arabambi stated.
He questioned the lack of an investigative committee or a fair hearing for Agboke, suggesting the move was designed to influence the composition of electoral officials in favor of the ruling party.
In response to the growing friction, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Victoria Eta-Messi, maintained that the redeployment was a “routine administrative measure.”
The Commission insists that such moves are standard practice to ensure efficiency and should not be viewed as interference in the forthcoming gubernatorial poll.
The Labour Party is now calling on President Bola Tinubu to exercise his oversight authority to “restore sanity” to the electoral body.
Arabambi warned that allowing political actors to trigger the removal of electoral umpires could destroy public trust ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“The people of Osun State should be left alone to vote for whosoever they want,” he concluded.
