The Mega Party of Nigeria, Ondo State chapter, said it would drag the Independent National Electoral Commission to court for not including the logo of the party on the ballot sheets that were used for the senatorial election held on February 23, 2019, in Ondo State.
The party complained that the absence of the party’s logo on the ballot papers disenfranched many loyalists of the party in the Ondo North Senatorial District.
The South West Chairman of the party, Mr. Biyi Poroye, stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Saturday. He asked the INEC to cancel the election, threatening to drag the electoral commission before the Election Petitions Tribunal.
According to him, the absence of the party’s logo on the ballot papers disfranchised many members and supporters of the party, explaining that all the party’s loyalists could not vote for the party’s senatorial candidate in Ondo North, Dr. Dipo Fatogun, in the election.
He said, “What happened is a gross violation of voters’ rights and as entrenched in the 1999 Constitution and the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended). We discovered that the logo was missing on the ballot paper, and we made frantic efforts to inform INEC about the development and we were told that necessary action had been taken. But to the surprise of our members and teeming supporters, the party’s logo was not on the ballot papers when we got to the polling centres.
“We had complained to INEC through the National Chairman and National Secretariat and they expressed surprise over the development and the havoc it would do to the party as at the time we discovered this.”
While calling on the party supporters to remain calm, Poroye insisted that the party would ensure justice was achieved on the matter.
“I am aware that the tribunal will be set up any moment from now and we will pursue this matter at the tribunal to make our point and call for a new election in the northern senatorial district.”
The MPN chairman also called on INEC not to disenfranchise the people of the southern senatorial district in the rescheduled National Assembly election, coming up next Saturday in some polling units of the district.
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