The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ikeja, Lagos State, has nullified the victory of the Labour Party candidate, Thaddeus Atta, and ordered a rerun for the Eti Osa Federal Constituency of Lagos State.
Popular Nigerian singer and actor, Olubankole Wellington, with the stage name Banky W and Ibrahim Obanikoro of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress respectively will participate in the election.
The verdict has given both Banky W and Obanikoro the opportunity to express hope of regaining victory as the court ordered the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the rerun within 90 days.
According to the ruling, INEC was asked to conduct a supplementary election in the 32 polling units of Eti-Osa within 90 days.
It also asked the electoral body to withdraw the return certificate issued to Attah and conduct elections in areas where the election wasn’t held on February 25.
Reacting to the ruling on his Instagram page, Obanikoro, the son of the former minister, Musiliu Obanikoro, wrote in his story: “The Feb 25 election has just been rightly declared inconclusive and supplementary elections have been ordered by the court. INEC has been ordered to withdraw the return certificate and conduct elections in areas where it didn’t hold on Election Day.”
In a similar manner, Banky W left a post on his page suggesting that it is still possible for him to be elected into office.
“It is possible. Still.” he wrote
However, Atta, in his reaction to the development on X, said he was not sacked.
According to him, “The Tribunal has simply ordered a re-run (supplementary election) in the 32 polling units where elections did not hold.
“We will continue working for Etiosa. I urge constituents to keep calm as we are unshaken. We will get through this together,” he said.