Posted by The Lagos State branches of the Labour Party and African Action Congress have provided justifications for the Independent National Electoral Commission's decision to omit their senatorial and House of Representatives candidates from the final candidate list for the general elections.
Ifagbemi Awamaridi, the party's former chairman, failed to submit the party's candidates to INEC on time, which led to their deletion from the list, according to Olukayode Salako, the state chairman of the Labour Party.
He did, however, reassure the population that because the party's National Assembly candidates were already in court to handle the issue, they would still appear on the INEC list before voters cast their ballots.
The final list of candidates for the national elections, which was published on the commission's website on September 1, omitted the LP and five other parties from Lagos State.
Other parties that are impacted include Action Alliance, All Peoples Party, African Action Congress, All Progressive Grand Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, Labour Party, and Peoples Redemption Party.
However, Salako remarked, “Ifagbemi Awamaridi, the former party chairman, did not present the names. The window was closed when he arrived at INEC late. We are thinking about going to court, and we will soon know who our contenders are. Our candidates will be posted (on the INEC website) via the courts.
“The Labour Party will form the next Lagos administration, whether or not we run for office. This is due to the fact that Nigerians and Lagos residents alike are searching for a new foundation on which the country can be administered more effectively for all of its citizens. People are sick of the APC, and a revolution is taking place in their hearts. This revolution is already advocating for us.
Ayoyinka Oni, the state chairman of the African Action Congress, claimed that the reason the party did not run candidates for the Senate and House of Representatives was because it did not want to give shady characters a chance to use the platform for their own political advantage.
“A lot of money bags were already lining up to use our party as a backup plan in the event that their festivities went wrong. We closed all doors because we lack such a culture, he continued.