Gbajabiamila, Faleke among winners 25 losers want Lagos Election Tribunal to sack
Ladapo Kolade
The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lagos has received 25 petitions filed by the aggrieved parties across the state.
The candidates of Labour Party for House of Representatives in seven constituencies in Lagos are challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, All Progressive Congress (APC) and the declared winners of each constituency.
The candidates in their various constituencies are challenging the winners in Oshodi-Isolo, Kosofe, Lagos Mainland, Surulere, Shomolu, Mushin and Ikorodu constituencies.
In some of the petitions filed by their counsel, Chief Wakeel Olawale Liady, the petitioners are challenging the INEC for non-compliance with the provisions of Electoral Act 2022.
They alleged that INEC unlawfully excluded them from the election held on February 25 for the National Assembly, House of Representatives.
However, in another petition filed by Adeola Damilola Adebanjo and the Labour Party against the Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, the petitioner alleged that INEC failed to comply with the provisions of the law.
“The 1st Respondent as statutorily empowered by the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and other extant electoral laws to conduct election in Nigeria is mandated to ensure that political parties that nominated candidates for general elections are featured on ballot papers and other electoral materials.
“While it is incumbent on the political parties to comply with the provisions of the law regulating nomination of candidates, it is also mandatory for the 1st Respondent to ensure that all political parties which nominated candidates are listed on all electoral materials to be used and/or used for the general elections.”
The petitioners state that the 1st respondents in the conduct of the House of Representatives election for Surulere Federal Constituency on the 25th day of February, 2023 is mandated by law to be guided by the provision of the Electoral Act 2022.
For Ikeja Federal Constituency, Mutiu Olakunle Okunola and his party (Labour party) are challenging the election that declared James Abiodun Faleke as the winner of the election on the grounds “that the election was invalid by reason of non-compliance with provisions of the Act, mutilation of all election material particularly forms EC8 of majority of all the polling units in Ikeja Federal Constituency.
“Gross failure to compute all the results polled with respect to the Ikeja Federal Constituency by each party and the onward transmission via BVAS of the same into the prescribed collation system provided for the House of Representative of Ikeja Federal Constituency.”
The petitioners state that the 1st and 2nd Respondents (being a candidate and a political party respectively) were not duly elected and their election was void for non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and guidelines.”
He therefore prayed the court for a declaration that the election conducted by the 3rd respondent (INEC) on the 25 February, 2023 in respect of the seat of the Ikeja Federal Constituency is marred with substantial irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and guidelines.
He is praying to the court for an order nullifying the election conducted by the INEC and ordering a fresh election for the seat.
