Ondo Governorship Election: INEC Replaces Olusola Ebiseni with Olorunfemi Festus as Labour Party Candidate

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed the replacement of Olusola Ebiseni with Dr. Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus as the Labour Party’s (LP) governorship candidate for the Ondo State election scheduled for Saturday.

INEC announced the update in a statement shared on its X handle, where it also released a revised list of candidates for the election. The replacement followed the receipt of a Certified True Copy (CTC) of a Court of Appeal ruling, which nullified an earlier decision by the Federal High Court in favor of Ebiseni.

The Court of Appeal’s decision came after a unanimous judgment delivered by a three-member panel led by Justice Adebukola Banjoko. The appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had no jurisdiction in the matter, overturning its earlier judgment that had declared the Labour Party’s second primary, which produced Ebiseni, as valid.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court had initially directed INEC to recognize Ebiseni as the Labour Party candidate. However, the Labour Party challenged the ruling at the Court of Appeal, leading to Ebiseni’s disqualification and the reinstatement of Olorunfemi Festus as the party’s candidate.

In its statement, INEC said:
“In obedience to the court order, the Commission has restored Olorunfemi Ayodele Festus, whose name was first published as the Labour Party candidate for the 2024 Ondo State Governorship election and uploaded same to our website for public information.”

This development reshapes the Labour Party’s lineup ahead of the crucial governorship election.