On Friday, the Labour Party’s leadership expressed concerns regarding the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its alleged attempts to hinder their efforts to regain the mandate of their suspended House of Representatives candidate, Amobi Ogah.
This situation arose after a dispute between two INEC lawyers at the appellate court in Lagos.
The party has also appealed to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, urging him to promptly investigate and address this issue.
INEC initially declared Ogah the winner of the Isiukwuato Umunneochi Federal Constituency election, with 11,769 votes, but the election was nullified by the National Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Umuahia on September 6, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
During a hearing at the Lagos Appeal Court on Thursday, confusion ensued when two legal practitioners claimed authority to represent INEC.
This led to the Labour Party leadership penning an open letter to INEC Chairman, titled “Open letter to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, on the show of infamy and dishonor by the commission in election appeal held in Lagos,” pleading for a fair resolution of their candidate’s appeal.
The National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifoh, expressed their belief that this incident was a deliberate act by INEC to obstruct their efforts to reclaim Ogah’s mandate.
He emphasized the need for an investigation into the situation and called on INEC to maintain its integrity in light of the upcoming 2023 general elections.
