The Labour Party (LP) chances of winning the Ondo governorship election may suffer major setbacks after the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division disqualified its candidate, Olusola Ebiseni, for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election scheduled for Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The three-member panel of justices, in a unanimous decision with a lead judgement by Justice Hamma Barka delivered by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, held that “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko, in the judgement delivered on Wednesday, further added that the Certified True Copy of the judgement would be made available to the parties in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Justice Abba Mohammed, in his contributory judgement, agreed with the decision of his fellow justices.
Previously, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to accept and recognise Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the 16 November Ondo State governorship polls.
Justice Nwite affirmed that the second primary election held by the Labour Party, which produced Ebiseni and Awude as the governorship and deputy governorship candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
In his judgement on the suit brought by Ebiseni and Awude, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1105/2024, Justice Nwite noted evidence that Ebiseni had paid the sum of N20 million for the nomination form and was duly issued a form leading to the conduct of the second primary election.
He also observed that there was evidence the Labour Party had directed Ebiseni to pay the sum of N5 million to one Festus Olorunfemi as compensation for his withdrawal from the governorship race.
Justice Nwite thus ordered INEC to accept the nominations of Ebiseni and Awude and to publish their names as the Labour Party’s lawful candidates for the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for 16 November.
However, the trial court judgement was subsequently overturned by the appellate court.
