From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Member of the House of Representatives, representing Gwer-West/Gwer-East federal Constituency of Benue State, Mark Gbillah, has sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for listing him as thr senatorial candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for Benue North-west senatorial district.
Gbillah, who disclosed this at a press briefing, on Friday, in Abuja, said though he is the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party for the senatorial district, INEC, in a recent publication, listed him as both the candidate of Labour Party and the NNPP.
The lawmaker lamented that the error by the electoral body has created an avenue to his opponents in other political parties to institute legal action against him.
According to him, “While it is true that INEC’S publication on 20th September 2022 of the list of National (Presidential, Senate and House of Representatives) candidates for the 2023 general elections indicated my name as the candidate for both Labour Party and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for the Benue North-West Senatorial District Elections, this publication was erroneous and without my knowledge.
“I have since initiated necessary legal action against INEC and NNPP in order to correct this grievous error which is alleged to have occurred because of NNPP’S inability to upload the name of their replacement candidate to the INEC portal within the timeline provided by INEC.”
Gbillah, while stating his commitment to issue based campaign, assured his supporters that he would definitely on the ballot as the Labour Party candidate in 2023 senatorial poll in the area.
“I want to reassure members of my family, friends, well-wishers and teeming supporters across the state and country that I remain the Labour Party candidate for the Benue North-West Senatorial election in the 2023 general elections and will definitely and unfailingly be on the ballot for that election.
“I am fully committed to issue and fact-based campaigns premised on capacity and performance and to free and fair elections and will take necessary action against opponents and detractors, who continue this campaign of calumny and attacks against me instead of focusing on their own campaigns and testing their popularity with the electorate who it is alleged they intend to try to buy votes from during the general elections, Gbillah stated.