Ogun Council Poll: APM Drags OGSIEC, OGD, Others To Court Over Stringent Conditions For Candidates
By HABEEBAT AJAYI
The Allied People’s Movement(APM) has dragged the Ogun state Independent Electoral Commission, former governor, Gbenga Daniel and others to court against decision of the electoral body over the conditions bordering on qualifications, and disqualifications of candidates contesting the Local Government election in the state.
The party in a suit HCT/563/2021 filed against OGSIEC questioned for determination whether the OGSIEC can by its Local Government election guidelines can enlarge, curtail or ammend the provisions stipulated in section 7(4) 106 and 107 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The party also noted that the state electoral law 2007 which the OGSIEC relief upon in section 5 (H) of its guidelines is inconsistent with the provision of the 1999 constitution.
The party insisted that introducing payment of nomination form by OGSIEC is fraudulent and void in the constitution of the country.
Speaking on the suit, the APM publicity secretary, Leke Kehinde in a statement made available to newsmen stressed that the Ogun state Electoral law signed by Gbenga Daniel contravened section 7(1) which provided for democratically elected local government.
Kehinde claimed that guidelines released by of OGSIEC for the just concluded election was to allegedly favour the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He maintained that the party is challenging the illegalities of the OGSIEC in the just concluded election.
The APM publicity secretary also accused OGSIEC of introducing some unrecognized legal phrases into the Electoral Laws of 2007.
He lamented that the unrecognized legal phrases is what OGSIEC used in allegedly sidelining other political parties from participating in the election.
He complained that the APM candidates were disenfranchised despite fulfilling all the constitutional requirements.
He insisted that the OGSIEC is incompetent to prescribe conditions for the eligibility, qualifications and disqualifications of candidates to contest Local Government election in Lagos state.
He stressed that OGSIEC’s action is contradicting the section 7 (4) 106 and 107 of the constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria.
He also described the payment of forms prescribed by OGSIEC as unconstitutional and infringement on the constitutional section 7 (4) 106 and 107 of the constitution of federal Republic of Nigeria.
