The Labour Party (LP) in Nigeria has asked the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare their candidate in the By-election in Ilaje/Ese Odo Federal Constituency in Ondo State winner of the election, condemning the declaration of the election as inconclusive.
The electoral body had declared the election inconclusive, saying that the 1,300 votes difference between the Labour Party candidate and the PDP candidate was smaller than the votes not cast.
The National Chairman of the political party, Dan Nwanyanwu, on Saturday told Channels Television that with the number of votes already recorded by the party in the election, the process was conclusive.
“The election was conclusive and we are calling on INEC to release the result of the election.
“What INEC has done is what it intends to do in 2015 general election, especially the presidential election. There is a plot to declare the 2015 election inconclusive.
The contest to win the constituency has generated issues in the past, some resulting in the nullification of elections results.
Mr Nwanyanwu said that in 2007 general elections, the tribunal and the Court of Appeal nullified the election for the two constituencies in Ondo State due to irregularities and other reasons.
He claimed that the Labour Party had won more elections conducted in the two constituencies in the past.
“The actual time that it was put to test, as to which party that would be in charge of the area, was in a by-election in 2010 for the House of Representatives. In 2011 the Labour Party won the House of Representative seats in Ilaje and Ese Odo Local Government Areas.
“The Labour Party has been in control of the area,” he said.
The Labour Party leader also stressed that his political party deserved to win in the state, despite the irregularities because the party had delivered its mandate and promises made to the electorates in the past few years.
The party leader said that LP had won the election, insisting that the only election result that should be determined by a two-third majority, as specified in the Nigerian constitution, was the Presidential or Governorship elections.
“In a Presidential Election, you must win two-third majority in the 36 states of the nation.
“In Senatorial and House of Reps elections, it is by simple majority. Labour Party has won the election by simple majority of legitimate votes cast in the 21 wards out of 22.
“INEC position is speculative and anticipatory. Out of the number of persons or registered voters, only 34 per cent were accredited in the 21 wards, Mr Nwanyanwu said.
He attributed the development to sharp practices by politicians in Nigeria, saying that the issue of irregularities in the voters’ register had been witnessed in most states in Nigeria.
Since the electoral body declared the election inconclusive, it had not set a date aside for a possible supplementary election, as it had done in Anambra governorship election after it declared the first election inconclusive.
