Seven Parties To Contest Ekiti Re-Run Rep Election From Muyiwa Adeyemi, Ado Ekiti

THE Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ekiti State, Alhaji Hussaini Halilu Pai yesterday disclosed that seven political parties will contest re-run election into the House of Representatives seat declaredvacant by the Court of Appeal.The upper court had on November 17 this year dismissed the appeal of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) member representing Ekiti Central Federal Constituency II, Mr. Ojo Oyetunde, at the House of Representatives and upheld the verdict of the lower tribunal which ruled in favour of the candidate of the National Transformation Party (NTP), Mr. Peter Bamigbade Adekola that his name and logo of his party were missing on the ballot papers in contravention of the Electoral Act of 2010.Alhaji Pai who said the electoral body has fixed December 10, 2011 for the re-run Election, also disclosed that the candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Mrs. C.O. Oluwafemi, has withdrawn from the race to join the ACN.He said that the commission has learnt great lessons over the omission of the logo and name of the candidate of the NTP on the ballot paper used in the conductof the National Assembly election in the state.'No system is 100 percent perfect; even our leaders have said it that we are still learning, that we have not got it right and this omission is one of the challenges INEC has to make the system better.'Alhaji Pai listed the seven political parties to include ACN, the Peoples Democratic party (PDP); All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA); All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Alliance for Democracy (AD); Labour Party (LP) and NTP. He said election would take place in 441 polling units in Efon, Ijero and Ekiti West local government areas where 115,876 voters are expected to cast their votes for a new federal legislator for Ekiti Central Federal Constituency 11.Pledging that the electoral body would hold free and fair election, Alhaji Pai disclosed that 1,131 ad hoc staff drawn from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and federal establishments would be used for the election.
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