The Ondo State chapter of the Labour Party on Thursday asked the Election Petitions Tribunal in Akure to dismiss the petitions filed against it by some opposition parties in the October 20 governorship election in the state.
Candidate for the Action Congress of Nigeria, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu; Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party; and Mr. Soji Ehinlanwo of the Congress for Progressive Change, among others, had gone to the tribunal to challenge the victory of Governor Olusegun Mimiko of the LP on the outcome of the election.
The party, in its reply to the petitions on Thursday, prayed the Justice A. Kaka'an-led tribunal to dismiss the petitions for flagrant violation of the mandatory provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 in the preparation, presentation and filing of the petitions.
The Notice of Preliminary Objection was filed by Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN), who is leading the LP's 12-member legal team, including four other Senior Advocates of Nigeria – Ricky Tarfa, Adebayo Adelodun, Chukwuma Ekomaro and Abiodun Owonikoko.
The 3,110-page reply to PDP petition listed 2,024 witnesses to give evidence before the tribunal while that of the ACN had 1,340 pages with 2,023 listed as witnesses.
The Labour Party said, “The claims in the petitions were in total contravention of the rules guiding the tribunal, in addition to being incurably defective for non-joinder of necessary and desirable parties.
“The petitions also contain damaging, extensive and indicting criminal allegations freely made against named persons and individuals who are not parties to the petitions.”
The LP said it would rely on Forms EC8A-D, ballot papers used during the poll, Voter Registers used on October 20 and that of the 2011 Presidential election in the state.
The LP is also pleading the reports of local and international independent observers, reports of local and international media on the conduct of the election as well as video clips and photographs.
