- Safiu Kehinde
The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has restored Labour Party’s Ondo governorship candidate, Olorunfemi Ayodele to the updated list of candidates ahead of the Saturday election.
This was contained in a statement issued by the electoral body on their X handle on Friday.
According to the Commission, Olusola Ebiseni’s candidacy was nullified by court ruling while declaring Ayodele the candidate for the Labour Party.
Ebiseni had, in a judgement by Abuja Federal High Court in September, declared candidate of the Labour Party for the Ondo election while ordering INEC to accept his candidacy.
The ruling would, however, be set aside by judgement of the Court of Appeal which sacked Ebiseni and reinstated Ayodele as the LP candidate.
INEC in the statement, confirmed receiving a Certified True Copy of the Appeal Court which aided the restoration of Ayodele in the list of candidates for Ondo governorship election.
The statement read in part; “The Commission was yesterday 14th November 2024 served with the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgement of the Court of Appeal which set aside the judgement of the Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja Division. The FHC, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1105/2024 had on 27th September 2024 ordered the Commission to accept Olusola Ebiseni as the candidate of the Labour Party for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election.
“However, in the appeal with reference number CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 filed by the Labour Party, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division struck out the judgement of the FHC for lack of jurisdiction.
“In obedience to the court order, the Commission has restored Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus, whose name was first published as the Labour Party candidate for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election and uploaded same to our website for public information.”