Oyo Election Fallout: Political Party Calls For Cancellation Of Saturday’s Polls Over Omission Of Name, Logo
The New Nigerian People’s Party NNPP, Oyo state chapter has called for the cancellation of the Presidential and National Assembly election held last Saturday over allegations that the electoral commission, INEC willfully omitted the party name and used the wrong logo for the party on the ballots papers.
Oyo NNPP through its solicitor, Olayinka Ogunmodimu accused INEC of the use of an illegible and wrong logo for the new Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), willful and deliberate omission of the party’s name on the ballot papers during the presidential and national assembly elections held on the 25th of February, 2023 in the state.
The party claimed that the deliberate action carried out by INEC caused great damage to the party in the state, as many party members and supporters who went out en mass on Saturday to vote for NNPP were prevented and disenfranchised from casting their votes for their beloved political party.
NNPP Oyo state chapter therefore urged INEC to immediately announce the cancellation of February 25, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly Elections in the State, and33 that a new election is conducted as soon as possible.
New Nigeria People’s Party, Oyo state chapter’s letter, through its solicitor to Independent National Electoral Commission read:
” We are solicitors to the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) (hereinafter referred to as Our Client) and on whose instruction we write.
” Our client ably informed us of the refusal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the correct and legible logo of the NNPP and also the omission of the party’s name on the ballot papers of February 25, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly Elections in Oyo State.
” Our client’s Polling Unit agents at the elections were shocked to get their various Polling Units to discover that INEC decided to make use of the most blurred image to represent the logo of the NNPP. This blurred image as our client informed us, did not also include the name of the Party.
” Our client further informed us that the key representation of the NNPP I.e “Basket of Fruits”, but on the INEC ballot paper, neither the basket nor the fruits could be seen thus, making it difficult for majoritý of the NNPP supporters to identify the ballot paper, especially because there was also no name of the party on it. This, our client stated, not only confuse the party supporters but deliberately disenfranchised them.
” We write to draw the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the above and state that this is an intervention of the provisions of Section 42(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 which states that:
“…the Commission shall prescribe the format of the ballot papers which shall include the the symbol adopted by the political party of the candidate and such other information as it may require.”
“We, therefore demand a cancellation of the February 25, 2023, Presidential and National Assembly Elections in Oyo State and a new election be conducted as soon as possible, wherein our client’s logo with be correctly and legibly placed on the ballot papers.”
