Labour Party Wants Ogun Governorship Election Nullified, Drags INEC To Tribunal Over Exclusion

The Labour Party in Ogun state has dragged the All Progressives Congress ; it’s Candidate ; Dapo Abiodun ; the state  Resident Electoral Commissioner ,AbdulGaniy Raji and the Independent National Electoral Commission before the Election Petition Tribunal for alleged exclusion of it’s party logo, name, and symbol on the ballot papers during the March 9,Governorship election .
The Labour Party in the petition filed by the Secretary of the party in the state , Sunday Oginni asked the Election Petition Tribunal in the state to nullify the  election in the state .
The INEC had declared Abiodun winner of the Governorship election , having polled the highest number of  votes in the election .
In the petition,  the APC  ; it’s Candidate ; REC  and the INEC are the  first ,second ,third and fourth respondents while the Labour Party and  it’s Governorship candidate , Modupe Sanyaolu   are the first and second petitioners.
In the petition marked EPP/06/GOV/02/2019 which  was reportedly filed on Monday ,  the petitioners prayed  the tribunal to order the withdrawal of the certificate of return issued to Abiodun.

 Oginni  in the suit with two other members   also prayed  the tribunal to order the INEC  to conduct  a fresh election within 21 days of its  decision   and include it’s logo and symbol .
Explaining the grounds for the reliefs , the petitioners complained that both  third and fourth respondents (REC  and INEC )  unlawfully excluded it’s name ,  logo  and symbol on  the ballot papers during the Governoship election .
The petitioners claimed  that, the action  has deprived it’s Governorship  candidate, an opportunity to participate in the election and win .
The petition reads , ” That  second petitioner was confident of winning the Governorship election held on 9th March,2019 being the only female Governorship candidate among all the candidates that stood for the Governorship election and also contesting on the platform of the first petitioner being the party of the masses ;the labour force ,civil servant ,artisans and families in Ogun state .

“That the first and second petitioners would have won and declared as the winner(s) of the Governorship election held on 9th March ,2019 if the logo and symbol of the petitioner were included in the ballot papers .
“The second petitioner  was duly screened and cleared to contest the Governorship election conducted by the fourth  respondent, but, was deliberately and unlawfully excluded from the Governorship election in which the second respondent was undully returned.
“The petitioners  state that the second respondent was not duly elected and /or duly returned as the winner of the election conducted on 9th March ,2019 by third and fourth into the Governorship seat of Ogun state, having failed to include the logo and symbol of the first petitioner in the ballot papers used  for conducting the Governorship polls  held on March 9,2019. 
  “The petitioner states that the second respondent was wrongly declared the winner of the said election and the candidate of the first respondent was unduly and wrongfully  returned by the third and fourth respondents as Governor-elect of Ogun state .
“By extention , the first and  second  petitioners were shut out from participating in the Governorship election held on 9th March ,2019”.
Meanwhile, , in the motion ex – parte filed by Oginni and others , they  prayed the tribunal to  order the INEC to  produce and grant it  access to all documents used for the Governorship election in the state for inspection .
They also asked the tribunal to order the INEC to allow it inspect all documents used in the Governorship election of the state held on March 9,2019 ,particularly the Governorship ballot papers .