The Ogun State Chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has withdrawn its petition before the election tribunal.
Prior to the withdrawal, the NNPP had filed a suit against the Independent National Electoral Commission and the All Progressives Congress who won the election, seeking to overturn the results as it noted that the party’s name was missing on the ballot papers on election day.
However, the chairman of the NNPP, Comrade Sunday Oginni in a press statement on Sunday, disclosed that the party had withdrawn its case before the Ogun State Election Petition Tribunal.
Oginni noted that the withdrawal is based on the ground that the NNPP won in Kano State, among other reasons.
He explained, “We came to realize that on that same date (March 18) despite the fact that the INEC did not comply with electoral act that stipulated that the name and logo must be on the ballot. The electorates still manage to vote for some NNPP’s candidates and some of our candidates won in some places. For example, in Kano State, the governorship candidate of our party and candidates of NNPP for the house of assembly and Reps were declared winners over there.
“Although, we believed the votes we got would have been much more in so many other places if our name was on the ballot with our logo.
“With our petition seeking for the cancelation of election in Ogun State. We believe in the potency of that petition and if the petition survive, it will alter the political calendar of Ogun State and bring disruption to the political system in the state.
“We know the absence of name of our party on the ballot papers won election for us in some states. As we are celebrating with our dear brothers in other states for their victory, we don’t want to create another problem for their victory by bringing issues that may be somehow counter-productive to the development of the party.
“We believe that INEC must always be up and doing, and they must put attention to details to ensure that things are properly done for all political parties.
“For INEC to put a party name without its logo on the ballot box is contradiction to the electoral act provisions that says that name and logo of any political party shall be on the ballot.
“INEC as an unbias umpire and supervisor of our election, they must make sure that political parties are there to do the right thing, while they also make sure they pay attention to details.”
The NNPP chairman further appealed to the people of Ogun State to stay calm and hope for a good government that will come to the state soon, saying the party will go back to the drawing board and sit down on how to win the 2027 election.
