Adejoke Adeleye,Abeokuta
The Secretary of a faction of Labour Party in Ogun State, Mr Sunday Olamiposi Oginni has confessed not knowing the governorship candidate whom he has written petition on behalf to the tribunal concerning the omission of party logo on ballot paper of the just concluded March 9 election governorship and House of Assembly.
Oginni also said he does not know the party’s governorship candidate, Mrs Modupe Sanyaolu on whose behalf he filled a petition before the court on the basis of exclusion of party logo in the ballot paper in the just concluded election.
Ogini had approached the court over the omission of the party’s logo from the ballot paper, filling a petition on behalf of Mrs Moduoeolu Sanyaolu, the Labour Party governorship candidate without her consent.
Oginni said, “I don’t know Mrs Modupe , I have never met her, even if she is the governorship candidate of this our great party, Arabambi brought her to the party as the governorship candidate. I was the first to notice that our logo has been omitted from the ballot paper and i put a call through to the party chairman to inform him of my action which he gave his consent.
I asked him again whether the woman will not be cross with it,he said no that I should go ahead.”
The duo of the Party Chairman, Comrade Abayomi Arabambi and Ogini had separately filled a petition marked EPT/OG/GOV/02/2019 and EPT/OG/GOV/03/2019 challenging the victory of the Candidate of the All Progressives Candidate (APC) Dapo Abiodun and the alleged illegality perpetrated by INEC by unlawfully removing the party logo from the ballot paper.
During their arguments Arabambi’s counsel, Hassan O. Balogun, argued that the suit filed by the other group (Oginni) with the petition No: EPT/OG/GOV/02/2019 does not exist in the eye of the law adding that the case should be struck out since the said suit wasn’t properly filed as at when due.
He said: ” As, at the last date of adjournment, the client of my learned counsel was yet to have fully paid his security deposit, until the 2nd April when they completed the payment, even when the date for which the petitioner should file shouldn’t exceed 21 days after the election was held.
“I pray that the said petition should be voided. There has never been a faction in the Ogun state Labour Party, the party is one in the state. The two existing petition before the regular court is the one involving one Mr Segun Odegbami Vs Oladipupo Adebutu and others at the Federal High Court in Abeokuta which upheld Arabambi led excos as the authentic executive of the state LP.
“In fact, the petition does not exist in the eye of the law because before this sitting today, there is only one petition before this Honourable tribunal in the eye of the law.
“Assuming without conceding that there are two petitions before this honourable court, I humbly rely on my earlier submission and I also want to further say that, since my learned friend filed his petition on the 2nd of April while we submitted ours on the 28th of March, ours should be saved while that of my learned colleague be struck out.
In his defence, Ogini’s counsel, Kehinde Ayanwale, begged the court not to entertain the claims of the claimant stressing that a case of faction should not arise in a tribunal.
Ayanwale said, “The claims of my learned colleague should not be entertained in this honourable court because this is not a regular court where issues of factions should be treated even when it is still subjected to the court of appeal”.
The chairman of the three-man panel of the Tribunal, Justice Chinwe Onyeabor however adjourned for ruling till the 9th of April, 2019.
In response, Arabambi challenges Oginni and cohort to present the single candidate hisd faction fielded for election and which list was on INEC register. He also said he won the election of IPAC based on the fact that he is the recognised and authentic Labour Party Chairman in Ogun State.