Appeal Court Disqualifies Labour Party’s Governorship Candidate For Ondo 2024 Election.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has ruled to disqualify Olusola Ebiseni as the Labour Party’s candidate in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, scheduled for Saturday, 16 November 2024. The ruling, delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Hamma Barka and read by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, upheld an appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024, effectively barring Ebiseni from participating in the election.
Justice Banjoko stated that a Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to all involved parties for review. Justice Abba Mohammed supported the panel’s unanimous decision, further solidifying the disqualification.
This decision overturns a previous ruling by the Federal High Court in Abuja, which had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s candidates for governor and deputy governor. The Federal High Court had validated a second Labour Party primary that named Ebiseni and Awude as the official candidates and had directed INEC to publish their names.
In its initial ruling, the Federal High Court acknowledged Ebiseni’s fulfilment of certain party requirements, including a payment of N20 million for his nomination form and an additional N5 million as compensation to Festus Olorunfemi, who had withdrawn from the race.
The recent appeal court ruling now renders the Federal High Court’s decision void, officially disqualifying Ebiseni from the Ondo governorship race. The Labour Party will need to reconsider its strategy with only days remaining before the election.
