Labour Party calls for postponement of elections over exclusion of candidates on ballot papers

Less than 48 hours to the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the Labour Party, LP, in Lagos has decried the exclusion of the party's National Assembly candidates on the ballot papers by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The party called on the electoral umpire to either correct what it described as an  anomaly or reschedule the National Assembly elections. 

It also called on all stakeholders, foreign observers, lovers of democracy and international community to quickly wade in and compel INEC to do the needful.

Addressing the media on the development, the state chairman, Mrs. Dayo Ekong, disclosed that the "malicious error was discovered Thursday morning in Lagos by the party's state executive committee, SEC, during the routine inspection of election materials."

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

"It is unimaginable that for the elections slated for Saturday, February 25, that Lagos electorate will only vote for the LP presidential candidate as INEC made  no provision for the election of  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 the electoral body at disenfranchising our supporters from exercising their civic rights which is unacceptable."

Meanwhile, further checks on the INEC website revealed that the list of names of Lagos LP National Assembly was not uploaded even as the list and court orders for same were duly submitted to Commission and acknowledged.

Ekong recalled how the LP has severally pointed out the bias displayed by the current INEC REC in Lagos  towards the 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?", she queried.  

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