The Labour Party in Ondo state has expressed concern about the lack of the party’s logo on the ballot papers issued to the state with just 24 hours till the presidential and national assembly elections.
However, the party requested that INEC postpone the poll in seven House of Representatives and one Senate district across the state until the necessary steps were taken.
Abiodun Agbaje, the party’s state secretary, told reporters in Akure that it “was a premeditated act to disenfranchise our followers.
Agbaje named the seven House of Representatives districts—Owo/ Ose Federal Constituency, Akoko South West/ East, Akure North/South, Akiko North East/ West, Ilaje/Ese- Odo, Okitipupa/ lrele, and Ondo East/ West—where the party’s logo was absent.
In the state’s Ondo Central Senatorial district, there was no sign of the party.
The Labour Party emblem was intentionally left off of the ballots that were sent to Ondo State for the Senate and House of Representatives elections, according to the party secretary. This was done in an effort to deny our supporters the right to vote.
“The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) deliberate action is intended to deny us our right to vote.
The Independent National Electoral Commission was instructed to accept the nomination of Labour Party candidates in 24 States by Judge Inyang Ekwo of a Federal High Court in Abuja on February 2, 2023.
“The court further directed that the commission must accept, either physically or electronically, the list of senatorial and House of Representative candidates, notably in Ondo State.
Why was there such blatant defiance of the court’s order? There is no doubt that this repulsive conduct, which was carried out on purpose and caught everyone’s attention yesterday, was directed towards states with ardent supporters of our great party.
“Unfortunately, if an umpire could make such a humiliating error, it is a testament to the concerns raised by Nigerians over INEC’s integrity in the general election on February 25.
We hereby request the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the elections for the upper and lower chambers until the necessary work has been completed.
“Moreover, we are unafraid and implore our devoted followers to keep concentrated and avoid pointless diversions as we lawfully pursue the route until victory is assured.
Stephen Adeyeri, a member of the party’s House of Representatives for Akoko South East/South West, also spoke, lamenting that the party would seek legal recourse if the election was held without his party’s logo.
“What happened was an intentional act,” Adeyeri continued, “how would our followers exercise their right to vote for the candidate of their choice?”
Also, Fiyinfoluwa Bademosi, a candidate for the Ondo central senatorial constituency, suggested that the elections in those impacted areas be delayed until the necessary steps are taken.
According to Bademosi, “the party will pursue legal action on the concerns if INEC fails to do the necessary.”
We were shocked to see that the party’s emblem was purposefully absent from the ballot paper for the senatorial and house of representatives elections in Ondo state when our representatives went to the INEC office to check out the electoral materials.
“We are pleading with the INEC to take the necessary action, giving us the choice of either taking part in the poll tomorrow or postponing it.
“However they choose to do it, we believe that since the court has ordered that our candidates should be given the chance to exercise their rights, and our supporters and members would be upset if they showed up at the polls the following day and discovered that the Labour Party was missing from the ballot paper, we should be given the opportunity to do so.
We express our anger over the problems, and we think that the INEC is a trustworthy organization that will take the appropriate action and make sure that we participate in tomorrow’s election, according to Bademosi.
