The Labour Party has urged Nigerians to disregard a court judgment purportedly disqualifying its gubernatorial candidate, Olusola Ebiseni, from the upcoming Ondo State election.
This comes after the Abuja Division of the Appeal Court disqualified Ebiseni on Wednesday.
Ondo State Labour Party Chairperson, Mrs. Remilekun Ojo, claimed that the matter was resolved internally before the judgment. “They’re all lies; we resolved matters before the judgment,” she said. Ojo accused politicians from other parties of spreading false information to cause confusion within the Labour Party because “they feel threatened.”
Initially, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had validated the second primary election that produced Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as candidates. Ebiseni had paid N20 million for the nomination form and was issued a form for the second primary election. The party also directed Ebiseni to pay N5 million to Festus Olorunfemi as compensation for his withdrawal.
However, the appellate court overturned the trial court’s judgment on Wednesday, sparking controversy ahead of the November 16 election.
Interestingly, Dr. Ayodele Festus Olorunfemi emerged as the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate in April, winning unopposed during the primary election. The latest developments have raised questions about the party’s candidate for the upcoming election.
The Labour Party’s call to disregard the court judgment has added to the uncertainty surrounding the Ondo State gubernatorial election. As the election approaches, the party’s supporters remain hopeful that Ebiseni will be allowed to contest.
