LG poll: Labour Party commences contempt proceedings against OGSIEC

The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party has commenced contempt proceedings against the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission.

The matter is before the Local Government  Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abeokuta.

OGSIEC is facing trial for its failure to obey the orders of the Tribunal directing them to grant unfettered access to the Labour Party to inspect all the electoral materials and documents used in the last local government election.

This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday by the Party’s Publicity Secretary, Mr Tokunbo Peters.

The Labour Party had filed a petition at the Tribunal on the 29th of November, 2024 challenging the conduct and results of the Local Government Election conducted on the 16th November, 2024 and called for the nullification of the entire exercise.

Subsequent upon a motion filled by Barrister Oluwafemi Ibiayo, the counsel for the Labour Party on December 6, 2024, the tribunal granted an order on the 11th December, 2024 directing OGSIEC to grant the Labour Party unfettered access to inspect all electoral materials and documents used in the conduct of the election, including but not limited to, documentation of the details of distribution of electoral materials deployed to all polling units, the voter registers, the ballot papers, Forms EC8A and EC8A(1); Forms EC8B and EC8B(1); and  Forms EC8C, EC8E and EC8E(1) which were utilised for the conduct of the Local Government Elections held on Saturday, 16th November, 2024.

Rather than comply with the order of the tribunal, OGSIEC filed an application seeking to set aside the said order of the tribunal, and claiming that Labour Party did not participate in the election as a result of which they cannot allow the party access to the election materials and documents requested.

Recall that during its media briefing before the election, OGSIEC had listed the Labour Party as one of the parties participating in the election.

It is also on record that the Labour Party fielded 14 Chairmanship candidates across 14 Local Government Areas and 110 Councillorship candidates for the said election held across the 20 local government areas in Ogun State.

The party added, “The Labour Party was one of the sixteen political parties that instituted a suit against OGSIEC challenging the legality of the Administrative Fees imposed on candidates by OGSIEC for the election.

“The parties got judgement against OGSIEC, thus leading to a refund by OGSIEC to the Labour Party, for fees paid by the party on behalf of its candidates who contested the local government election.

“It is therefore inconceivable and preposterous that OGSIEC can turn around to claim that the Labour Party did not participate in the election.

“The Labour Party views the actions of OGSIEC as an attempt by the Commission and its Chairman, Mr Babatunde Osibodu, to cover their tracks in the rape of democracy and electoral fraud committed against the people of Ogun State in the sham election held on the 16th of November, 2024.

“The contention of the Labour Party is that no lawful election was held anywhere in Ogun State on the 16th of November, 2024.

“OGSIEC officials who were meant to be unbiased umpires in the election merely sat in their offices and awarded results in favour of the ruling party. This perhaps explains their inability to make available the election materials for inspection as directed by the Election Petition Tribunal.”