The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has commenced hearing on the petitions against the outcome of the September 19 governorship election in the state.
The hearing, holding at the State High Court in Benin City, the state capital, commenced on Monday.
The five petitions challenging the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki in the election, according to sundry reports, including Aledeh.com’s, were listed.
They are Action Democratic Party (ADP) and its governorship candidate, Emmanuel Iboi vs INEC, PDP, Godwin Obaseki, APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.
Others include the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) vs. INEC, PDP, Godwin Obaseki and Philip Shaibu; New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and Agol Ebun Tracy vs. INEC, PDP and Godwin Obaseki; Action Peoples Party (APP) vs. Godwin Obaseki, PDP and INEC and the Action Alliance (AA) vs. Godwin Obaseki, PDP and INEC.
At the tribunal, the counsel to the first respondent, INEC, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), said he had filed a total of three processes, including Motion on Notice dated 13th November 2020 and filed on the 20th of November, first respondent reply on point of law and reply to counter cffidavit of fourth respondent, APC.
Reacting to the motion on notice, the petitioners filed a counter-affidavit together with a written address in opposition on November 28.
The counsel to the 2nd respondent, the PDP, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, told the tribunal that he filed an application dated November 11 and subsequently filed two fresh applications on Monday.
One of the fresh applications seeks the striking out of the names of the 4th and 5th respondents as respondents to the petition while the second application seeks an order striking out paragraph 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 of the petition.
Oyeyipo also sought to withdraw the first application and substitute with the one filed on Monday.
The counsel to the petitioners, Ikhide Ehighelua did not object to the withdrawal of the application as sought by the counsel to the second respondent.
He, however, informed the tribunal that he was served the fresh processes only Monday morning.
The Chairman of the Tribunal, Abdulrazak Abdulkareem, struck out the second respondent’s application which he had applied to withdraw.
APP and AA are contesting the outcome of the election on the grounds that they were unlawfully excluded from the election.
In their separate petitions, APM and NNPP are asking the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Obaseki as the winner of the election on the grounds that the conduct of the September poll violated, substantially, the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian and the Extant Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended 2015).
There are similarities in the five petitions. The similarities border on the issues of the eligibility or otherwise of Obaseki to contest the election.
The petitioners claimed that he submitted false and/or forged certificates to INEC, and also alleged that the governor participated in two separate primary elections of two different political parties of the PDP and the APC for the same election.
They are seeking an order asking INEC to conduct a fresh election among only qualified candidates in the aforesaid election to the exclusion of PDP and Obaseki and an order to withdraw the certificate of return earlier issued to the governor by INEC.
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