Court sacks Ondo top governorship candidate

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has disqualified Olusola Ebiseni as the Labour Party candidate for the upcoming Ondo State governorship election, set for Saturday, November 16, 2024.

The ruling marks a major legal turn in the race just days before the polls.

In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel, led by Justice Hamma Barka and delivered by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, granted the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024, effectively nullifying Ebiseni’s candidacy. Justice Banjoko announced that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would soon be made available for review by the parties involved.

Justice Abba Mohammed concurred with the lead judgment, affirming that the appellate court’s ruling overrides an earlier decision by the Federal High Court, which had upheld Ebiseni’s candidacy.

Previously, Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s candidates for the governorship and deputy governorship positions in Ondo State. Justice Nwite validated the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, deeming it legitimate and instructing INEC to publish their names.

In his ruling, Justice Nwite highlighted that Ebiseni had paid N20 million for the nomination form and had also reimbursed Festus Olorunfemi with N5 million for stepping down from the governorship race, indicating official support for Ebiseni’s bid. The judge thus declared Ebiseni and Awude as the party’s rightful nominees.

However, the Appeal Court’s decision on Wednesday has now overturned that ruling, casting uncertainty on the Labour Party’s position in the Ondo governorship election just days before voting.