The Ogun State branch of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has announced that it is no longer pursuing its petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission and Governor Dapo Abiodun’s win in the March 18, 2023 election.
The party had previously filed a petition with the Tribunal, claiming that INEC had violated the electoral act by omitting their name from the ballot papers. During a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Abeokuta, the state chairman, Sunday Oginni, declared that the party has officially withdrawn its lawsuit with petition number EPT/OG/GOV/01/2023.
Oginni stated: “Despite having a strong case, the party under the leadership of Comrade Sunday Olaposi Oginni wish to announce the party’s intention to withdraw the petition from the Tribunal. We are doing this not because we don’t believe we will get justice from the judicial system, but because of the following reasons;
“We came to realise that on that same date (March 18) despite the fact that the INEC did not comply with an electoral act that stipulated that the name and logo must be on the ballot. The electorates still manage to vote for some of NNPP’s candidates and some of our candidates won in some places. For example, in Kano State, the governorship candidate of our party and candidates of NNPP for the house of assembly and Reps were declared winners.”
After retracting their petition against Governor Abiodun and INEC, the Ogun State chapter chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Sunday Oginni, emphasized the importance of attention to detail and proper conduct for all political parties. Oginni urged INEC to ensure that they are meticulous in their duties and provide equitable treatment to all political parties.
“INEC as an unbiased umpire and supervisor of our election must make sure that political parties are there to do the right thing at all times while they also make sure they pay attention to details,”.
