The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has lodged an appeal against the ruling of the Governorship and House of Assembly Tribunal in Ogun State. The party brought a petition before the tribunal over the omission of its name on the ballot papers used during the 2023 governorship election in the state.
According to a report by The , the tribunal had earlier dismissed the petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Dapo Abiodun, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the grounds that the debrief counsel requested withdrawal of the petition.
However, the NNPP through its counsel, Isaac Izunya, has informed the Court of Appeal sitting at the Ibadan Judicial Division that the party is dissatisfied with the unanimous judgement by the three judges. The NNPP argued that the learned justices of the tribunal erred in their judgement.
The party is alleging that the judges were wrong in holding that the National Legal Adviser of NNPP cannot take over the matter, brief another counsel and debrief Peter Ogah from further representing the party based on Article 27.18 (iii), (v), and (vii) of the party’s constitution. The NNPP further claimed that the National Legal Adviser is empowered to attend to all litigations and legal defence on behalf of the party, including its organs, and coordinate the activities of legal advisers at all levels on legal matters affecting the party, in line with Article 27.18 (iii), (v), and (vi) of its constitution.
The party also argued that the tribunal erred in allowing Peter Ogah to withdraw the petition and dismissed the same when the provisions laid down by the Electoral Act 2022 for the withdrawal of the petition had not been complied with.
The NNPP lodged the appeal on May 22, 2023, with the suit number EPT/OG/GOV/01/2023, and seeks to overturn the earlier ruling of the tribunal in the state.
