The Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State has raised concerns over the omission of its candidate from the list of contestants for the forthcoming Ibadan North Federal Constituency by-election scheduled for August 16.
State Chairman of the party, Sadiq Atayese, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Wednesday.
Atayese lamented that the absence of the LP candidate’s name on the ballot had negatively impacted voters’ perception of the party’s participation in the election, thereby affecting its campaign activities and preparations.
He explained that the party had resorted to legal action to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to correct the alleged anomaly.
“We have equally staged a peaceful protest at the INEC office to register our displeasure on the matter and also to demand the next thing they want us to do. We have been trying to find out the basis for the omission.
We don’t know whether it is a sponsored action by those who felt threatened or a technical glitch. As we speak, we are still asking INEC to explain the reason for the omission, but there has been no response yet,” Atayese said.
The LP chairman described the development as frustrating, stressing that it denied the people of Ibadan North the opportunity to elect a candidate with a proven track record who could deliver the dividends of democracy.
He urged INEC to act swiftly to ensure fairness and transparency in the process.
The Ibadan North Federal Constituency seat became vacant following the death of Hon. Olaide Akinremi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in July 2024.
Akinremi, who passed away at the age of 51, was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023.
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