Court grants Labour party’s prayers to access election materials

&NewLine;<p> Ogun State Governorship Election Petition Court on Tuesday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission &lpar;INEC&rpar; to allow the Labour Party &lpar;LP&rpar; in Ogun State access to the materials and records used for the conduct of March 9 election in the state&period;<br> Justice Chinwe Onyeabor equally dismissed a petition marked EPT&sol;OG&sol;GOV&sol;02&sol;2019 which filed by the Oginni Olaposi &&num;8211&semi; led faction of the LP&comma; citing incompetence and abuse of process as reasons for the dismissal&period;<br> The Court ruled on abuse of process between Olaposi&&num;8217&semi;s faction&&num;8217&semi;s petition and the other petition EPT&sol;OG&sol;GOV&sol;03&sol;2019&comma; filed by Abayomi Arabambi as the Chairman of LP and the governorship candidate&comma; Mrs Modupe Sanyaolu&period;<br> Both petitions are challenging the unlawful exclusion of LP and its logo from the ballot during the March 9 election&comma; hence demanded nullification of the poll&period;<br> In the ruling read by Justice D&period;A Oyigbenu&comma; the tribunal held that the first petition failed to meet up the requirement for its filing within specified 21 days&comma; due to non-completion of security for cost&period;<br> The court added that the dismissed petition constituted abuse of process since the third petition had been perfected within the required time frame&period;<br> Shortly after the ruling&comma; the governorship candidate&&num;8217&semi;s Counsel&comma; Hassan Balogun moved a motion &comma; seeking orders of the Court to mandate the INEC to grant access to the petitioners&comma; their agents and experts to inspect and obtain the certified true copies of materials and records used for the conduct of the election&period;<br> The inspection&comma; Balogun argued becomes necessary in order to prosecute the petition already filed before the tribunal&period;<br> In the ruling read by Justice M L Omar&comma; the tribunal granted the orders as prayed<&sol;p>&NewLine;