In a landmark decision, the National Assembly election petition tribunal sitting in Ikeja, Lagos, has issued a ruling that will lead to a supplementary election for the highly contested Eti-Osa House of Representatives seat.
This development follows a petition submitted by Bankole Wellington of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Babajide Obanikoro of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who contested the outcome of the initial election.
On Monday, the tribunal made a decisive decision by ordering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize a supplementary poll in a total of 32 polling units located within the Eti-Osa federal constituency. This supplementary election is mandated to take place within a timeframe of 90 days from the date of the tribunal’s ruling.
The central contention of the petitioners, Bankole Wellington (popularly known as Banky W) of the PDP and Babajide Obanikoro of the APC, was that the election held in February was marred by irregularities and that voting did not take place in approximately 40 polling units. The tribunal carefully examined the evidence presented by the petitioners and ultimately concurred with their arguments.
In the initial election held in February, Thaddeus Attah, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), was declared the winner of the Eti-Osa federal constituency seat by INEC.
Mr. Attah secured the top position with 24,075 votes, while Banky W garnered 18,666 votes, securing the second position. Babajide Obanikoro came in third with a total of 16,901 votes.
The forthcoming supplementary election is expected to be closely monitored by all relevant stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organizations, and the electorate, to ensure that it adheres to the highest standards of fairness and credibility.
It is a critical moment in the Eti-Osa federal constituency’s democratic journey, and the outcome will undoubtedly shape the political landscape of the region.
As the countdown to the supplementary election begins, the eyes of the nation will be firmly fixed on Eti-Osa, where the people’s will is set to be determined once and for all through a transparent and credible electoral process.
