Labour Party indicts INEC of plotting to stall proceedings at Appeal Court

The Labour Party (LP) is seeking an investigation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the roles played by its Legal Department in the Appeal Court ruling filed by LP candidate, Hon. Amobi Ogah, against All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Hon. Nkiruka Onyejeocha, in Lagos State.

A statement titled, ‘Open Letter to the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, by LP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, Regarding the Show of Infamy and Dishonour by the Commission in Election Appeal Proceedings in Lagos’ stated this.

The LP National Publicity Secretary expressed concerns about the alleged plans to substitute the Commission’s legal counsel at the Appeal Court, urging INEC to promptly conduct an internal review and impose appropriate sanctions on any officers found to be at fault.

Ifoh said, “Mr Chairman, it is no longer news that the Labour Party achieved significant and unprecedented success in the last general election, winning 35 seats in the House of Representatives, 8 seats in the Senate, and numerous seats in state Houses of Assembly.

“We also won a governorship seat, with over 6 million voters supporting our presidential candidate. We appreciate INEC’s efforts at these historic events.

“However, these achievements have recently been jeopardised by developments and outcomes from various tribunals, leading to the unconstitutional overturning of some of the victories secured by the Labour Party.

“In September, the party raised concerns about the challenges faced by the Labour Party and its members and appealed to the judiciary to ensure that justice prevails and upholds democracy.

“We bring to your attention an incident that occurred on October 19, 2023, at the Appeal Court in Lagos, during the Appeal No. CA/OW/HR/AB/06/2023 between the Labour Party candidate, Hon. Amobi Ogah (the plaintiff), and the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nkiruka Onyejeocha (the respondent), with INEC as another respondent.

“Hon. Ogah, the Labour Party candidate, won the Federal House of Representatives seat for Isikwuato/Umunneochi Federal Constituency with a significant margin, but his victory was annulled at the Election Tribunal. This led to his decision to appeal to the Appellate Court.

“However, on October 19, 2023, a highly irregular and concerning incident unfolded at the Appeal Court. INEC, which had previously engaged Senior Counsel J.O. Asoluka (SAN) with a letter of authorisation to represent the Commission, suddenly introduced another lawyer with a different letter of authority to take over the case. This was done without prior notice to J.O. Asoluka (SAN), the original counsel, or to the plaintiff, which is legally required.

“A dispute arose at the Appeal Court as both lawyers claimed to represent INEC. Notably, at the venue of the Appeal Court, expelled members of the Labour Party led by Lamidi Apapa were present, along with some APC leaders who openly associated with the Apapa group.

“They openly declared their intentions to purchase a favourable judgement at any cost and attempted, unsuccessfully, to take over the legal representation of the Labour Party.

“It has now become clear that the abrupt change of legal representation, without proper notification to the interested parties, was a deliberate move orchestrated by the Commission in collusion with our opponents to disrupt the proceedings at the Court of Appeal and undermine our candidate’s appeal, which was scheduled for a hearing on Thursday.

“We urgently call on you to address this situation to prevent further complications. INEC, as the responsible entity for conducting and declaring the outcome of elections, is expected to defend the election results and support the integrity of the process.

“The Commission must maintain its credibility and reject any form of compromise. Nigerians still have high expectations from INEC to restore its image following the controversial 2023 general elections.

“It must not allow a few pliable members of the Commission to tarnish its reputation any further.”