The Ogun State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has initiated contempt proceedings against the Ogun State Independent Electoral Commission (OGSIEC) for allegedly failing to comply with a tribunal order to grant access to inspect electoral materials used in the November 16, 2024, local government elections.

This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by Tokunbo Peters, the party?s Publicity Secretary, in Abeokuta.

The Labour Party had filed a petition on November 29, 2024, challenging the conduct and results of the elections and calling for the nullification of the entire exercise.

Following a motion by LP counsel, Oluwafemi Ibiayo, on December 6, the tribunal directed OGSIEC on December 11 to provide unfettered access to all election materials, including voter registers, ballot papers, and relevant electoral forms.

However, OGSIEC reportedly failed to comply with the directive, instead filing an application to set aside the tribunal?s order. The commission claimed the Labour Party did not participate in the election, a stance LP has dismissed as ?inconceivable and preposterous.?

?It should be recalled that during its media briefing before the election, OGSIEC had listed the Labour Party as one of the parties participating in the election,? Peters said.

He added that LP fielded 14 chairmanship candidates across 14 local government areas and 110 councillorship candidates for the election conducted across Ogun State?s 20 local government areas.

The party further noted that it was one of 16 political parties that successfully challenged OGSIEC in court over the imposition of administrative fees on candidates, which led to a refund of fees paid by LP candidates.

?This makes it baffling that OGSIEC can now claim that the Labour Party did not participate in the election,? Peters stated.

The Labour Party accused OGSIEC and its chairman, Babatunde Osibodu, of attempting to cover up alleged electoral fraud.

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

According to the party, OGSIEC officials ?merely sat in their offices and awarded results in favor of the ruling party.? Peters added, ?This perhaps explains their inability to make available the election materials for inspection as directed by the Election Petition Tribunal.?

The party described the November election as a ?rape of democracy? and vowed to ensure accountability for what it termed a sham exercise. (Daily Sun)

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