24th August, 2023
The stay of Seyi Sowunmi of Labour Party in the House of Representatives as member representing Ojo Federal Constituency in Lagos was cut short on Thursday as the State National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal nullified his election.
Consequently, the three-man panel led by Justice Abdullahi Ozegya declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election, Lanre Ogunyemi, as the winner of the election conducted on February 25, 2023.
Ogunyemi, a former member of Lagos House of Assembly had challenged the declaration of Sowunmi as winner of the by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the election.
Sowumi said in his petition that the LP candidate was not duly sponsored by his party and not qualified to contest the election for Ojo Federal Constituency.
In its unanimous judgment, the tribunal agreed with the petitioner that the candidate of the Labour Party was not qualified to contest the elections.
The Tribunal, therefore, declared his votes wasted and held that the second runner up, APC’s Ogunyemi, ought to have been declared winner of Ojo Federal Constituency.