The gubernatorial candidate of the Ogun State chapter of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Ambassador Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has hailed the ruling of elections petition tribunal sitting in Ogun State, for granting the request to inspect all Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines and other sensitive materials used for the 2023 elections in the state over omission of the party’s name on the ballot paper.
The Ogun tribunal granted all the prayers of the NNPP in the motion filed on Friday at the Isabo Court in Abeokuta.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC), had been declared winner of the March 18 gubernatorial election held in Ogun state, but NNPP approached the tribunal to challenge the omission of the party’s name on the ballot paper in the state.
The party said the act disenfranchised its members, loyalists, supporters and the masses from voting for it and its candidate during the governorship and State Assembly elections.
The motion, ex-parte, was supported by an eight-paragraph affidavit deposited by the State chairman of the party, Olaposi Oginni.
The NNPP had complained that INEC did not print the name of the party on the governorship ballot papers, as prescribed by the Electoral Act.
The party asked the tribunal to allow it to make photocopies, scan and record all sensitive materials used by INEC in the March 18 governorship election, ahead of its petition.
NNPP stated that it would seek the nullification of the governorship election in Ogun due to the omission of its name on the ballot papers.
Granting the prayers, the Chairman of the tribunal, justice Argum Ashom, agreed with NNPP on the prayers, “in that effect the reliefs are granted as prayed.”
Speaking on this development on Tuesday in a statement personally signed by the governorship candidate, Oguntoyinbo commended the tribunal for granting the party’s prayers.
He said NNPP had earlier written a letter to INEC to ensure the inclusion of his party’s name on the ballot paper, but the commission failed to correct the error, hence, the need to challenge it constitutionally by going to tribunal.
He said the development gave voters, especially NNPP’s loyalists difficulties to find the party’s name on ballot papers, which affected the voting drive of their members.
Oguntoyinbo then called for the rerun of the election so that the party’s name will be properly inscribed on the ballot paper.
