Babatope Okeowo 
The Labour Party (LP) Campaign Organisation has denied the insinuation that the governorship candidate of the party in Ondo State, Chief Sola Ebiseeni has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.
The Director of Legal Services of the Campaign Organisation, Mr. Ojo Tosin Leramo, said there was no litigation over the candidacy of Ebiseeni, and as such, the appellate court could not have removed him as the candidate of the LP.
Similarly, Ebiseeni said he remained the candidate of the LP as no court order invalided his candidacy.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, was said to have disqualified Olusola Ebiseni as the LP candidate for the Saturday governorship election. The three-member panel of justices, in a unanimous decision with a lead judgment by Justice Hamma Barka delivered by Justice Adebukola Banjoko, held that “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.
However, Leramo said the suit being referred to did not at any time strike out the name of Ebiseeni as the candidate of the LP. He said it was a joiner filed by the Legal Adviser of the party that was adjudicated on.
His words ” The Motion did not challenge nor in any way deny the validity of the candidacy of Ebiseni and Awude. In any case, the court was informed without denial that the processes of the nomination of the said candidates were presided over by Julius Abure, Ayo Olorunfemi, Kehinde Edun, and all members of the Abure National Working Committee.
“The court, in a considered judgment, per His Lordship Honourable Justice Emeka Nwite, delivered on the 27th of September, granted the reliefs as prayed. Two Appeals were filed, one in which Ayo Festus Olorunfemi sought to Appeal as an Interested Party which Appeal was outrightly dismissed, and the other Appeal N0 N0 CA/ABJ/ CV/1172/2024 by Abure which was allowed without details, but certainly not on the validity of the candidacy of Ebiseni and Awude which the Appellant did not make an issue nor challenge at the lower court as an Appeal is a re-hearing of the case at the lower court.
“We are not unaware that the visit to Ondo State, early in the week, by the enigmatic Leader and the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Party, Mr Peter Gregory Obi, his authoritative statement on the nation’s democracy and incomparable capacity of our candidates, have escalated the headaches of our opponents and their collaborating in-house merchants who are now more frustrated by the ever-growing popularity of the Party.
“We call on the teeming members of the Labour Party and our well-wishers to ignore the tantrums of these mischief makers, go ahead and massively vote Labour Party on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, Ebiseeni, while responding, said that ” a court judgment is not delivered through speculation; it is based on facts and evidence. I would have expected Olorunfemi to present the judgment he is been referencing, rather than spreading misinformation.
“Let this be clear to all: I, Olusola Nehemiah Ebiseni, remain the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate. Any claims suggesting otherwise are unfounded and misleading.”
