Ogun State chapter of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP has hired not less than 15 lawyers to challenge the victory of Governor Dapo Abiodun at the March 18 governorship and house of assembly elections held in the state.
The NNPP’s legal team on Thursday, led by Barrister Peter Ogah, submitted the party’s petition before the Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, alleging that the party’s name, NNPP was omitted on the ballot papers used for the governorship and assembly elections in the state.
PremierWorldNews also reports that, the election petition with suit number; EPT/OG/GOV/01/2023 dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, Governor Abiodun, and his party, All Progressives Congress before the Tribunal over an alleged omission of the NNPP’s name on the ballot papers used for the governorship and assembly elections held on March 18, 2023 in the state.
Challenging the outcome of the elections, NNPP in an affidavit deposed by the State Chairman, Comrade Oginni Olaposi insisted that the party lodged a petition with the tribunal because it was dissatisfied with the outcome of the election.
It would be recalled that the team of legal luminaries assembled by Ogun NNPP had filed a Motion Ex-parte, seeking an order of the court to move the motion before the pre-hearing session of the tribunal.
The party also prayed the court to direct INEC to grant the party access to inspect, photocopy, scan, pay for, and obtain certified true copies of all the documents used in the conduct of the governorship election held on March 18, 2023.
Three Judges of the election tribunal, however, granted NNPP’s request to inspect, photocopy, scan and record all sensitive materials used by INEC.
The three judges namely; Justice Arum Igyem Ashom, Justice Eno Ikpi Ebri, and Justice Khadi Ibrahim Ya’u unanimously agreed in their ruling on the exparte motion brought by the counsels of NNPP to allow the party inspects the INEC’s materials.
Speaking on the petition filed by NNPP, the party’s chairman stressed every due process would be followed to ensure justice is served.
Oginni argued that INEC violated the fundamental right of the party by omitting the party logo on the ballot papers.
He added, “It’s the fundamental right of our party to seek redress by approaching the Tribunal, to seek for total cancellation of the March 18th governorship election in Ogun State.
“It’s evidently clear that the Name of NNPP was not on the logo on the ballot. What the Law says is that any omission of this sort is tantamount to exclusion from participating in the said election.
“Our request for justice is that the election is declared null and void and a fresh election with name and logo of NNPP is to be conducted within a reasonable time”, Oginni concluded.
