Court grants Labour party’s prayers to access election materials

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