A youth pressure group within the Edo State chapter of the Labour Party (LP), operating under the umbrella of Shine Your Eyes Group (SYEG), on Tuesday, commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and its Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, for adhering strictly to the rule of law in deepening democracy in Edo State Labour Party’s candidates list ahead of the September 22, 2024, governorship election.
The statement by SYEG came in reaction to an earlier statement by the Edo State Chairman of LP, Kelly Ogbaloi, who faulted INEC’s listing Oluyinka Faith Alufohai as the deputy governorship candidate to Olumide Akpata, the party’s governorship candidate for the election.
The group, in a statement endorsed by its Chairman, Comrade Jonah Ifada and Secretary Osagie Omoregie, also knocked the LP chairman over his rejection of the INEC final list and reminded the party that what the electoral body had done was under the law and deserved commendation.
SYEG also noted that what had become the lot and tragedy for the Labour Party in Edo State was a clear reflection of the shambled primary it conducted in the state, where the wishes of the party’s faithful were subverted by those entrusted to run the affairs of the party.
“Our attention has been drawn to the ranting by the Edo State Chairman of the Labour Party, Kelly Ogbaloi, rejecting the nomination of Oluyinka Faith Alufohai in INEC announced final list of candidates as ludicrous.
“We want to state equivocally and remind Ogbaloi that INEC is not like the Labour party and that what INEC has done was in line with the rule of law and deserves commendation for being vigilance and thorough.
“We had warned the Labour Party to play by the rules of the game but they choose to bow to the weight of naira and dollars to subvert democracy and the wishes of our people.
“As stakeholders, we are however, confident that the abnormality by the party would be corrected by the court as we have it on good authority that one of the aspirants, Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon, has gone to court to seek interpretation of the constitution as regards issues in the party’s primary,” the statement reads.
It would be recalled that Imansuangbon, in his petition, stated that Mr Olumide Akpata committed a horde of offences ranging from giving false information to the acquisition of citizenship of another country, which is a grand departure from the Nigerian Constitution’s accepted norms.
On the allegation of false information, Imansuangbon alleged that Akpata, while filling INEC form EC 9 “stated his name to be Akpata Olumide Anthony which is different from and not the same as Akpata Olumide Osaigbovo” which he earlier stated on oath to be his name and under which he contested and reportedly won the primary election of the LP.”
Imansuangbon wanted the court to determine whether Akpata “has not supplied or otherwise given false information to the INEC within the meaning or contemplation of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
On Akpata taking an oath of allegiance to Vanuatu, an independent and sovereign nation, Imansuangbon wanted clear interpretation of the Nigerian constitution to know if Akpata’s “claim on oath, in the said INEC form EC 9 that he has not voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country is not or does not amount to false information, within the meaning of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act, 2022, read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria(as amended).”
On Oluyinka Faith Alufokhai, “who is parading herself” as the running mate of Akpata, the petitioner cited some information that she supplied in INEC form EC 9 which do not add up. The information includes that “she was born in 1981 and that she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate in the same year of her birth.
“Her name is Alufokhai Oluyinka Faith while her former name was Ikheafe and she obtained three certificates namely OND, HND and PGD the same year, 2005.” Imansuagbon further alleged.