Court Dismisses Ogini's Petition Against APC, Dapo Abiodun

....Grants LP Permission to Inspect Electoral Materials

The tribunal sitting in Abeokuta has dismisses the petition of Olaposi Ogini Sunday and others with suit number EPT/OG/GOV/02/2019 based on lack of competence.
The members of the tribunal also described the petition as abuse of court processes as the tribunal cannot comply with two petitions at the same time.

The tribunal after conclusion, also asked the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to abide by the rule of law to allow Labour Party to inspect electoral materials for the March 9th Governorship and house of assembly election.

Meanwhile, The Labour Party in Ogun state through former State Secretary, Olaposi Ogini Sunday has demanded N500 million damages from the Independent National Electoral Commission for excluding it’s logo and name from the ballot papers for the Governorship election in the state.

The party in a suit marked FHC/AB/FHR/44/19 which was brought before a Federal High Court sitting in Abeokuta joined the Resident Electoral Commissioner ,AbdulGaniy Raji; the All Progressives Congress and it’s Governorship candidate ,Dapo Abiodun ; the Allied People’s Movement and it’s candidate ,Adekunle Akinlade and the African Democratic Congress and it’s candidate ,Gboyega Isiaka .

The applicants in the suit, in a motion on notice ,obtained by Sunday PUNCH, sought a declaration of the court on the non-inclusion of the labour party in the ballot papers for Governorship election conducted on March 9,2019 as illegal.

The party also sought the reliefs of the court for the declaration that the disenfranchisement of its teeming supporters of INEC by not including the logo of the party in the ballot paper is unconstitutional ,illegal ,null and void .

The applicants seek “an order of court nullifying the Governorship election held on the March 9,2019, having not complied with the constitutional provision as enshrined in section 40 of 1999 constitution as amended .

“An order of the honourable court compelling the first and second (INEC and REC) respondents to pay jointly the sum of N500,000,000.00 (five hundred million naira only) as damages for unlawful exclusion of the first applicant logo and disenfranchisement of party members and supporters from casting their lawful votes the party of their choice”.

The INEC has declared the Governorship candidate of the APC as winner of the election and returned elected.
While Akinlade emerged first runner up , Isiaka emerged second runner up in the election .

The Labour Party has approached the Election Petition Tribunal, seeking the annulment of the Governorship election over the non-inclusion of the party logo in the ballot papers during the election.

While the tribunal sitting today in Abeokuta  granted the prayers of the Labour Party counsel, O. H Balogun to inspect and examine the electoral materials used in the just concluded governorship and house of assembly election.