BREAKING: How INEC is Colluding With Opponents to Frustrate Our Appeal, Labour Party Alleges
- In September, the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia sacked the member representing Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency, Amobi Ogah of the Labour Party
- Subsequently, Ogah rejected the outcome of the tribunal and approached the Appeal Court to challenge the verdict
- Now, the Labour Party has raised an alarm accusing INEC's legal department of "inglorious roles"
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Lagos Island, Lagos state - The Labour Party (LP) on Friday, October 20, wrote an open letter to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
In the letter by Obiora Ifoh, its national publicity secretary, the LP alleged that INEC displayed "infamy and dishonour" in a recent election appeal that was held in Lagos.
Source: Facebook
"Reject any compromise", LP to INEC
The opposition party was particularly displeased with the suit at the Appeal Court involving a house of representatives hopeful from Abia state, Amobi Ogah (LP), and the All Progressives Congress (APC's) Nkeiruka Onyejeocha.
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The LP alleged that some expelled members under the headship of Pa Lamidi Apapa were present at the Appeal Court on Thursday, October 19. It also claimed that APC chieftains "openly fraternised with the Apapa cohorts who publicly boasted that they would purchase judgement at all cost".
Additionally, the LP alleged that the change of legal guard "without properly notifying the interested parties was carefully orchestrated by the Commission (INEC) in alliance with our opponents to stall proceedings at the Court of Appeal and frustrate our candidate’s appeal that was due for hearing on Thursday".
The LP's statement partly reads:
"We are therefore using this platform to urge you to investigate the inglorious roles which the legal department of the commission is playing and sanction erring officials.
"The role of INEC in this matter is simply to defend the outcome of the election which it conducted and on which it declared Hon. Amobi Ogah as the duly-elected candidate to represent Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency in the National Assembly.
"The Commission must reject any semblance of compromise. Nigerians are still looking up to it to redeem its image, aftermath of the controversial 2023 general elections. It must not allow a few pliable members of the Commission to further taint the integrity of the commission."
Tribunal sack Ogah
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Umuahia sacked LP's Ogah. Ogah represented Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency in the green chamber.
The tribunal ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return given to Ogah and issue the same to APC's Onyejeocha who had petitioned the court.
Source: Legit.ng
