An opposition political party in Imo State, Hope Democratic Party, HDP, has kicked against what it termed as unlawful exclusion of its governorship candidate and party logo on the ballot during the November 11, 2023 off cycle election.
Information reaching our newsdesk has it that Hope Democratic Party, HDP, has concluded plans to approach the Election Petitions Tribunal to cancel the Governorship Election.
HDP in a statement made available to the media recently, which was signed its spokesperson, Chinedu Francis O., expressed disappointment at the electoral umpire over the willful exclusion of the party in the last governorship election.
Chinedu in the statement revealed that HDP on 1st March 2023 obtained a subsisting order on from Federal High Court Abuja directing the INEC not to interfere in the party’s activities.
The party stated that the court order compelled the INEC to allow the party participate in the November 11, 2023 Governorship Election in Imo State as a registered political party.
The spokesperson further said that HDP had expected the electoral umpire to respect the court order but to its utter chagrin, the INEC unlawfully excluded its validly-nominated Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates from the contest.
Continuing, he stated that by the unlawful exclusion, the party, its lovers, supporters and candidates were disenfranchised by the electoral umpire during the poll.
Chinedu further disclosed that the party’s team of lawyers has commenced preparations to take the case to the tribunal to compel the INEC to conduct a fresh Governorship poll in the state during which the party would be included on the ballot.
He expressed the optimism of the party to sweep the fresh poll even as he called on the teeming aggrieved party faithful to remain law-abiding as the party seeks legal means to compel the INEC to obey the law.
