Labour Party Asks INEC Chairman, Yakubu To Address Alleged Misconduct In Lagos Tribunal

The Labour Party (LP) has submitted a petition to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, over alleged misconduct at the tribunal in Lagos.

The LP led by Julius Abure filed the petition, alleging misconduct by EFCC officials acting on behalf of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to frustrate ongoing petitions at the Lagos tribunal.

National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said this in an open letter addressed to the INEC Chairman, which he read to the media, in Abuja, on Friday.

The petition comes after a legal dispute at the Appeal Court in Lagos involving a House of Representatives seat in Abia State.

Ifoh said, “Mr. Chairman sir, we therefore bring to your notice an ugly incident that happened yesterday, 19th day of October 2023 at Lagos State, venue of the Appeal Court on the Appeal No. CA/OW/HR/AB/06/2023 between the Labour Party candidate, Hon. Amobi Ogah, who is the plaintiff, and the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nkiruka Onyejeocha, who is the Respondent. INEC is also a Respondent in that matter.

“Hon. Ogah of the Labour Party contested and won with a large margin the Federal House of Representatives seat for Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency, but his victory was annulled at the Election Tribunal, hence the resolve to approach the Appellate Court.

“Sir, what played out yesterday, the 19th day of October, 2023, was unbelievable, hence we call on you to nip the development in the bud to avoid a messy situation. INEC had engaged a Senior Counsel, J.O. Asoluka (SAN), as its lawyer with a letter of authorization to represent the commission.

“But at the commencement of the hearing at the Appeal Court, another lawyer surfaced with another letter of authority to take over the case of the self-same INEC without prior notice to J.O Asoluka (SAN), that the new counsel had been engaged. They also did not see any need to inform the Plaintiff of the development as required by law. When the matter thus came up, a squabble ensued between the two counsels as to who had the authority of INEC to represent it in the case.

“Consequently present at the venue of the Appeal Court were some expelled members of the Labour Party under the headship of Lamidi Apapa. Also present were some leaders of the APC who openly fraternized with the Apapa cohorts and who were openly boasting that they would purchase judgment at all costs. They also attempted unsuccessfully to hijack the legal representation of the Labour Party.

“Chairman sir, it has now dawned on us that the change of legal guard without properly notifying the interested parties was carefully orchestrated by the Commission 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.”

“He further said, “We are raising this alarm because time is of the essence, even though, the collaborators achieved their intentions as the appeal could not be heard and was adjourned by the court to enable INEC to put its house in order and determine who of the two counsels, has her authority to represent her in the appeal.

“We are therefore using this platform to urge you to investigate the inglorious roles that 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 that 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, in the 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.”

Kanyi Daily recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over libelous allegations against its Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.