The Labour Party’s Thaddeus Atta’s election victory as the legitimately elected representative for the Eti Osa Federal Constituency has been declared illegal by the National Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, which is located in Tafawa Balewa Square, Lagos State.
The judiciary declared the polls to be inconclusive in a late-night ruling on Monday and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to hold a new election in all polling places that did not hold voting within 90 days.
Both the All Progressives Congress candidate, Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, and Nigerian singer and actor Bankole Wellington, also known as Banky W, of the Peoples Democratic Party, who was declared the runner-up in the February 2023 election, had petitions filed challenging the election results.
Atta received 24,075 votes, while Banky W and Obanikoro received 18,668 and 16,901 votes, respectively, according to the electoral umpire.
Ibrahim Obanikoro, a candidate for the All Progressives Congress, responded to this on Tuesday morning on his official Instagram account (@repibrahimobanikoro), confirming it and praising the judges “for this ruling which adheres to the components of the Constitution.”
“When it was established that there would be a supplemental election in various polling units under the Eti-Osa Federal constituency where the election did not take place, everyone in the tribunal court was smiling. I firmly feel that our legal system is headed in the right direction, and I applaud the judges for their decision to uphold the Constitution’s fundamental principles. The work has begun.
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As seen by our correspondent, he had posted on his Instagram story that the court had just rightfully deemed the February 25 poll to be inconclusive and ordered new elections. Elections must be held in regions where they weren’t on Election Day, and INEC has been instructed to remove the return certificate.
On Tuesday morning, Atta of the LP made a post on his X account (@_JtAtta) stating that he had not been fired and that there was “No cause for alarm.”
“I’m here to make it clear that I wasn’t fired. In the 32 voting units where elections did not take place, the Tribunal only ruled that a rerun (supplementary election) be held. We’ll keep doing our jobs for Eti-osa. I ask my supporters to remain composed because we are unfazed. Together, we shall overcome this, he added.
On Monday night, Banky W stated in a post akin to the response to the election, “It is possible. Still,” was written on his X-verified handle.
