By Promise Eze
Actor-cum-politician, Olumide Oworu has cleared the air on the controversy surrounding his candidacy on the Labour Party (LP) platform for Surulere 1 constituency in the March 18 State House of Assembly election in Lagos.
He blamed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for failing to upload his name in the final list of candidates running for the state House of Assembly in the concluded election.
One Adebayo Bode’s name was reflected in the result sheet by the electoral umpire as the LP candidate instead of Mr Oworo.
Recall that the actor had declared his intention to run months after the deadline for the submission of nomination forms by candidates contesting for seats at the Assembly — which was August 18, 2022.
The statement partly read, “I would like to express my deep appreciation for your unwavering support and dedication throughout our campaign. We went through a lot as a collective during this journey, and I want to assure you that our fight for a better Surulere continues.
“While it is obvious that the ruling party engaged in thuggery and electoral malpractice, we must not lose sight of the fact that we stood for what was right and just. It is deeply concerning that such tactics are still being used in our democracy, and we must continue to fight for a system where every vote counts and the will of the people is respected. That we refused to compromise our principles and values, even in the face of adversity, is a testament to our strength and determination, and I am proud to have had you all by my side. We shall be employing all legal options available to us to ensure that the will of the people prevails.
“Regarding the authenticity of my candidacy and my name not appearing on the ballot, that is a situation that came about due to the failure of the INEC to comply with the subsisting judgment of the Federal High Court delivered on the 2nd of February 2023 in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/2115/2022 wherein INEC was ordered to open her website to allow the labour party to submit the list of her candidates or accept the same manually immediately.
“INEC failed to upload the names on the list sent by the Labour Party in October 2022. I assure you that this endeavour was not one for clout but was borne out of a genuine desire for change.”
