The Lagos State chapter of the Alliance for Democracy has accused the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and Independent National Electoral Commission of plotting to scuttle the petition of its governorship candidate, Owolabi Salis, against the election Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
According to the state Chairman of the party, Kola Ajayi, the electoral umpire has been withholding vital documents that would assist it at the tribunal from both the party and its candidate.
In a statement he personally signed in Lagos on Monday, Ajayi also accused the state chapter of the APC of evading service of court summons.
Ajayi in the statement made available to newsman said the state office of INEC has been working with the ruling party with a view to scuttle the party’s petition pending before the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.
“The Lagos office of INEC has not been very cooperative to our course as an unbiased umpire it should be. What we have is a situation where it is even working for the APC to frustrate us,” Ajayi said.
Citing a specific instance, Ajayi stated that the commission, which had earlier made the receipt of the nomination of the candidature of the party to it, has been withholding same from it since its staff requested for a return of the document to it.
He said: “When we requested for the document they initially gave them to us but they later told us that we should return it, which we did.
“To our surprise, they same people have failed to give us the document which we need to file our case saying that the original copy was with the national office in Abuja.”
According to Ajayi, the state chapter of the APC has been evading service of summons by officials of the tribunal, a situation that is hampering its petition.
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