The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has replaced Labour Party candidate Olusola Ebiseni with Dr. Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus in response to a Court of Appeal order.
INEC verified the move in conformity with the appeal court’s ruling in a statement released on Friday via its official X (previously Twitter) account.
“In obedience to the court order, the Commission has restored Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus, whose name was first published as the Labour Party candidate for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election and uploaded the same to our website for public information,” according to the statement.
This verdict comes after the Court of Appeal in Abuja overruled a previous ruling by the Federal High Court, which compelled INEC to acknowledge Olusola Ebiseni as the Labour Party’s Candidate.
The Federal High Court decided in favour of Ebiseni on September 27, 2024, directing INEC to name him as the Labour Party’s candidate for the forthcoming election. However, the Labour Party appealed the verdict to the appellate court.
The Court of Appeal’s Verdict
In its decision under reference number CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024, the Court of Appeal ruled that the Federal High Court lacked the authority to issue such a judgement.
As a result, the Court of Appeal ordered Festus’ immediate reinstatement as the Labour Party’s lawful candidate.
INEC verified receiving the Certified True Copy of the judgment on November 14, 2024, which overturned the Federal High Court’s previous verdict.
“The Federal High Court, in suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1105/2024, directed INEC on September 27, 2024, to accept Olusola Ebiseni as the Labour Party’s candidate for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election.
“However, in the appeal with reference number CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 filed by the Labour Party, the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division struck out the judgement of the Federal High Court for lack of jurisdiction,” according to the statement.
