LP: Ebiseeni not our Ondo governorship candidate — he’s yet to relinquish his PDP membership

• The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has published the final list of candidates for the Ondo state governorship election.
• The off-cycle governorship election in Ondo is scheduled to be held on November 16.

The leadership of the Labour Party (LP) says Olusola Ebiseeni, secretary-general of the Ayo Adebanjo-led faction of Afenifere, the socio-cultural organisation, is not its governorship candidate in Ondo.

Ebiseeni joined the Labour Party on Tuesday and was subsequently unveiled as its flag bearer in Akure, the state capital, for the upcoming November 16 off-cycle governorship election.

Ebiseeni, a former governorship aspirant of the Ondo PDP finished third in the primary with 99 votes behind Agboola Ajayi, the former deputy governor, who won the election.

During his unveiling, he said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) still permits the substitution of candidates, referencing Section 33 of the Electoral act.

“The closure of the window of opportunity for the substitution of candidates according to section 33 of the Electoral Act, which is 90 days before the actual election, would end on August 16,” he said.

Reacting in a statement on Wednesday, Obiora Ifoh, national publicity secretary of the Labour Party, said Ebiseeni is yet to relinquish his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party.

Ifoh reaffirmed Ayodele Olorunfemi as the authentic governorship candidate of the party.

He said that his name is being included in the final list of candidates published by INEC for the Ondo state governorship election.

“Dr. Olorunfemi is the candidate of the Labour Party. He emerged after the governorship primaries witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). His name was subsequently submitted to INEC and was published as the Labour Party’s duly nominated candidate for the Ondo election,” the statement reads.

“Chief Ebiseni is not our candidate, though he aspired to be one. INEC has since concluded the nomination processes and one wonders how he emerged without the involvement of the INEC and the sponsorship of the Labour Party.

“We also took note of some persons who are not members of the Labour Party but believed to be working for the Nigeria Labour Congress who must have been urging him on in their blind and illegitimate pursuit of the leadership of the party even when the Appeal Court has affirmed Barrister Julius Abure as the authentic chairman of the Labour Party.

“Impersonation is a serious crime in Nigeria and we therefore urge the Nigeria Police, the Department of the State Security and all other security agencies to apprehend anyone impersonating or being used to fight a proxy battle by way of impersonation.

“Labour Party is poised to win the Ondo governorship election having fielded a very credible candidate who is a grassroot politician, a prominent Labour leader and a renowned educationist. We think that this unholy alliance between Ebiseni and APC sponsored NLC is geared towards frustrating our expected victory at the polls but we will resist it through every legal means.

“We are therefore calling on our party members in Ondo, particularly Obidient family and the entire electorate to ignore the gang up against the party and come out en-masse to vote for Dr. Olorunfemi of the Labour Party, secure our votes and make sure our votes count.”