Edo State Election Petition Tribunal on Friday dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The tribunal upheld the September 28, 2016 election of Governor Godwin Obaseki. The Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, held that the petitioners failed to support their pleadings with evidence as well as abandoned some pleadings in their petition.
Justice Badamasi held that many witnesses called by the petitioners were discredited during cross examination and gave hearsay evidence. He said, “The petitioners have failed to prove their case with credible evidence and it is therefore dismissed. The much talked about ticking and over voting by the petitioners have not been specifically proved beyond reasonable doubts. And not calling witnesses to prove their allegations of corrupt practices and over voting was fatal to their case and is deemed to have abandoned their pleadings. Accordingly, the petition has failed and is hereby dismissed.”
Pastor Ize-Iyamu had in his petition asked the tribunal to declare him winner of the governorship election. Respondents in the suit were Governor Obaseki, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC. Hearing on the petition began on January 7 and ended on April 3. During the course of trial, the petitioners called 92 witnesses while Governor Obaseki called 68 witnesses. The APC called 15 witnesses and INEC did not call any.
Counsel to INEC, Onyinye Anumonye, argued that there was no need to call witnesses that would repair the case already damaged by the petitioners’ witnesses. Onyinye, however, tendered 203 documents including 200 copies of Form EC8 (B) for the 18 local government areas, one copy of Form EC8(C) for the 18 LGAs of the state, Form EC8 (D) for Edo State and Form EC8 (E). The petitioners tendered the voters’ register from 16 local government areas as well as the Forms EC8A, Form EC8B and EC8C, being results sheets for all the polling units, wards and local government areas of the state.
The Nation
