Labour Party kicks against missing logo in National Assembly ballot papers in Lagos

The Labour Party in Lagos State on Thursday condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for omitting party’s logo in the Senatorial and House of Representatives’ ballot papers. The elections into both chambers of the National Assembly hold along with that for the president on Saturday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC took delivery of sensitive materials for the presidential and National Assembly Elections on Wednesday.

At a news conference in Ikeja, the state capital, Labour Party’s chairperson in the state, Pastor Dayo Ekong called on INEC to reschedule the elections until the party’s candidates were included on the ballots.

She said that the Labour Party decried the “flagrant exclusion” of its National Assembly candidates on the ballot papers. Ekong called out INEC to either correct the “anomaly” or reschedule the National Assembly elections.

“This malicious ‘error’ was found out this morning (Thursday) in Lagos by me and my team of executive members during the routine inspection of election materials.

“It was at inspection that it was discovered that Labour Party was not listed for the election for Senate in and House of Representatives in Lagos State. This is unacceptable and a wicked way of disenfranchising the Lagos electorate.

“It is unimaginable that for the elections slated for Saturday 25 February, Lagos electorate will only vote for the Labour Party presidential candidate as INEC made no provision for the election of the party’s Senate and House of Representatives candidates.

“We cannot accept this as we do not believe that INEC made a mistake; but rather, a deliberate, malicious and intentional act by INEC at disenfranchising our supporters from exercising their civic rights which is unacceptable”, Ekong said.

She added that further checks on the INEC website revealed that the list of the party’s National Assembly candidates in the state was not uploaded “even as the list and court orders for same were duly submitted to INEC and acknowledged.”

“You will all recall how we have severally pointed out the bias displayed by the current INEC REC (Resident Electoral Commissioner) in Lagos State towards our party and his increasing attacks on our leaders that have constantly pointed out these biases in the past and current onslaught on our party. Is this the result of the culmination of those attacks?

“We call on all stakeholders, foreign observers, lovers of democracy and the international community to quickly wade in and call INEC to order to do the needful”.

NAN reports that the event was attended by the governorship candidate of the party, Mr Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, other candidates and the state executive committee members.