Labour Party: Exclusion of the party’s logo on Senatorial and House of Representatives ballot papers is unacceptable
By Ifeoma Ikem
The Labour Party, LP, has kicked against omission by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the party’s logo on Lagos State ballot papers for the Saturday election.
Recall that INEC had on Wednesday taken delivery of sensitive materials for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for Saturday, February 25.
LP Chairman in the State, Dayo Ekong, who decried the exclusion of the party’s logo on Senatorial and House of Representatives ballot papers in a statement on Thursday, called on the INEC to either correct the mistakes or reschedule the National Assembly election.
While calling on INEC to either correct what she described as an anomaly, she said, ”As Nigerians prepare to go to the polls to vote a new president and members of the Senate and House of Representatives on Saturday, the LP is decrying the flagrant exclusion of its National Assembly candidates on the ballot papers.
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“This malicious ‘error’ was found out in Lagos this morning during the routine inspection of election materials by my executive members. It was at inspection that it was discovered that the L P was not listed for the election for the Senate and House of Representatives. This is unacceptable and a wicked way of disenfranchising Lagos State electorates.
“It is unimaginable that the Lagos electorate will only vote for the Labour Party Presidential Candidate for the elections slated for Saturday, Feb. 25, 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 to disenfranchise our supporters from exercising their civic rights, which is unacceptable.
”Further checks on the INEC website revealed that the names of Lagos LP candidates were not uploaded even as the list and court orders for the same were duly submitted to INEC and acknowledged. We have severally pointed out the bias displayed by the State INEC REC towards our Party and his increasing attacks on our leaders.”
The party, however, called on all stakeholders, lovers of democracy, foreign observers and the international community to quickly wade in.
