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Former Labour Party candidate in Ondo State, Chief Olusola Ebiseni, has strongly condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for disqualifying him from the November 16 governorship election just 24 hours before the polls.
He made this assertion via a press release on Wednesday.
Ebiseni and his deputy, Dayo Awude, were removed from the candidates’ list on the alleged orders of the Court of Appeal, with Ebiseni’s replacement being Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi.
Ebiseni vehemently denied claims that his candidacy was invalid, stating, “Contrary to the claims in some uninformed quarters, the issue of the validity of our candidacy…was not raised by either the Party, INEC, or the Court.”
He also disputed being disqualified, emphasizing that no court had made such a ruling.
The former candidate accused INEC of “electoral gangsterism” and attempting to weaken the opposition.
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He highlighted INEC’s delay in uploading his name and that of his running mate, despite a Federal High Court ruling in their favor on September 27, 2024.
“Thus in its illegal resurrection of the dead candidacy of Olorunfemi following his irreversible withdrawal backed by affidavit, INEC was only playing its part in a national orchestra of electoral gangsterism.
“The fact that INEC which took more than one month to open its portal to upload our names and defiantly refused to allow our agents’ names uploaded would, within less than 48 hours, wrongly interpret and enforce against us few hours to the election a judgment details of which was not read in the open court and copy of which it has not been served.
“The omission by INEC to upload my name and that of my running mate, Mr Adedayo Awude, as the new candidates of the Party consequent upon the irreversible withdrawal by the initial placeholder candidates was the cause of action in the Originating Summons filed by our counsel of Dr O.J Onoja, SAN, and Associates on the 6th of August 2024 for an order of Court compelling the Commission to so do which the Federal High Court Abuja per Justice Emeka Nwite granted on the 27th September 2024.
“We challenged the judgment by filing a Notice of Appeal to the Supreme Court, Motion for Stay of Execution, which were all served on INEC the following day on November 14.
“It was the same political voodoo that saw to our being excluded in the gubernatorial debate, an intellectual exercise by candidates to juxtapose and share our visions for the greater good of our state and people.”
Ebiseni expressed concerns over the sudden interpretation and enforcement of a judgment that was not publicly read or served to him. He claimed that INEC’s actions were politically motivated, citing his exclusion from the gubernatorial debate as evidence.
The embattled candidate has initiated legal proceedings to clear his name against allegations of document forgery made by Olorunfemi. Ebiseni’s team had filed an appeal to the Supreme Court and a motion for stay of execution, which were served to INEC on November 14.
Background of the Controversy
– INEC’s Decision: Ebiseni and Awude were removed from the candidates’ list less than 24 hours before the election.
– Court Order: INEC cited the Court of Appeal’s alleged order for the disqualification.
– Replacement Candidate: Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi was named as Ebiseni’s replacement.
– Ebiseni’s Response: He denied the validity of INEC’s claims and initiated legal action.
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