LP candidate sues INEC over Eti-Osa Rep election

Forum 1 year ago

LP candidate sues INEC over Eti-Osa Rep election

ONE of the prominent lawyers at the forefront in the agitation for justice for EndSARS protesters in Lagos, Ayo Ademiluyi, yesterday, dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, before a Federal High Court, in Lagos, for failing to upload his name as the candidate of Labour Party, LP, and winner of the Eti-Osa Federal Constituency election, held on February 25.

Addressing a press conference in Lagos, Ademiluyi claimed that he was the valid candidate of LP for the election, having emerged from the primaries of the party, held in May 2022, and won the most votes during the election, where popular music star, Mr. Olubankole Wellington, also known as Banky W, and Babajide Obanikoro came 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Ademiluyi said: “In respect of our suit, it was dismissed by the court for not filing within the 14 days’ requirement for pre-election matters in the Constitution. The Applicants who entered separate appearances in the suit marked 2178 exhibited a Court of Appeal Judgment wherein the Labour Party national leadership sought and obtained an Order that INEC should publish their names accordingly.

“Seized of this development, we hurried to file a Notice of Appeal as Intervener Appellants to the Supreme Court against the Judgment of the Court of Appeal, which we only got to know of just afresh. We equally filed our Appeal against the Judgment of Justice Aneke at the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal.

”The Supreme Court at the hearing of the Motion for Leave to Appeal the said Judgment of the Court of Appeal was of the view that the Motion if granted will make the appeal now outside of the 14 days period and struck out the entire appeal.

“Furthermore, the Court of Appeal dismissed all the appeals of the aggrieved Appellants, who were Applicants at the lower Court as well as ours with no exception. As it stands today, there are two Notices of Appeal in two separate appeals at the Supreme Court.”

“INEC ought to abide by the outcome of these appeals instead of declaring a purported candidate, Chief Attah as the purported winner..

“My legal team is prepared to proceed first through the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1814/2022 at the Federal High Court, AYO ADEMILUYI v INEC & ORS before Honourable Justice Lifu of the Federal High Court, Lagos Division which comes up on March 22, 2023.”