₦airaland Forum

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Tuesday slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, over their failure to produce witnesses to testify in the petition they filed to nullify the outcome of the gubernatorial poll that was held in the state on September 21, 2024.

At Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to PDP and Ighodalo, Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, told the tribunal that most of their proposed witnesses, “suffered travel disruptions.”

“My lords, this is the reason we are unable to present them today. We urge your Lordships to give us another date.

“We undertake that on the next date, we will bring as many witnesses as may be convenient for the tribunal.

“We will also work assiduously to prime down our witnesses,” Oyeyipo, SAN, pleaded shortly after the witness that was testifying before the tribunal relocated its sitting from Edo state to Abuja, was discharged.”

Dissatisfied with the development, Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal slammed the petitioners for wasting the judicial time of the tribunal.

According to the tribunal, it had earlier asked other parties that also lodged petition to challenge the outcome of the governorship election, to take fresh dates.

“What you are just telling us is not good at all! Why then did we ask the other petitioners to take dates? We should have heard them today,” Justice Kpochi fumed.

“In fact, call those your witnesses. Tell them to come, we are ready for them to come today.”
However, counsel to the petitioners pleaded that the witnesses may not be in the right frame of mind to mount the dock after their travel difficulties.

“I appeal that we should be given a new date,” the petitioners’ counsel pleaded.

The tribunal subsequently adjourned the case till Thursday, January 30

Meanwhile, the witness that was discharged, Mr. Oseyili Anenih, told the tribunal that though there were a total of 4,519 polling units in Edo state, the PDP and its candidate are challenging results from about 765 polling units.

Answering questions under cross-examination, Mr. Anenih, who told the tribunal that he served as the Director of Research and Strategy for the PDP, admitted that he could not visit all the polling units during the election.

He told the tribunal that most of the evidence the petitioners’ relied on were based on reports that were submitted by agents and experts.

He told the tribunal that most copies of the results that agents of the party made available to him at the Situation Room, were not signed.

However, Anenih maintained that if lawful votes that were cast at the election were sincerely collated, his candidate, Ighodalo, would have emerged victorious.

Answering questions from Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, who represented Governor Monday Okpebholo, the witness admitted that though they did not have any physical assess to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, Machines, that were used for the election, they however got some screenshots of it, which they tendered in evidence.

He said they had since subpoenaed the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to make the machines available before the tribunal.

While being cross-examined by counsel to the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, the PW-12, who is the lead witness in the matter, confirmed that he was not trained by INEC to play any role during the election.

He admitted that none of the polling unit results was handed over to him personally by agents of the party.

However, while answering another question, he said: “Some of the local government collation agents brought their results straight to me because they were not allowed access to the State Collation Center.

“Some copies of election results in the Form EC8A that were handed to the agents were not legible.

“It is however not correct that majority of the results that were brought by our agents were not stamped by INEC, though some of them were not.

When he was handed one of the Exhibits to look at, the witness confirmed to the tribunal that out of 16 copies of the results in the bundle, only three of them were stamped.

“To us, that three that were stamped was significant enough. It represents almost 20%,” the witness insisted.

The PDP and its candidate had approached the tribunal, praying it would invalidate the outcome of the governorship election on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

PDP contended that Governor Okpebholo of the APC did not secure the highest number of majority votes cast at the Edo gubernatorial election.

fuckJones:
PDP and LP are not serious

DeZoro:
PDP have strong reason to win this case if sincerity is employed

DeZoro:
PDP have strong reason to win this case if sincerity is employed

Optimistguy1969:
Na APC person do this report.
Nothing you wan tell me

eventainment:
They moved a case to Abuja because they know it will be difficult to ask witnesses to travel such shady moves to sink a state down. APC has no good plans for the country till people wake up they will always be slave

eventainment:
They moved a case to Abuja because they know it will be difficult to ask witnesses to travel such shady moves to sink a state down. APC has no good plans for the country till people wake up they will always be slave

fuckJones:
so you means PDP will not pursuit the case to supreme court which is in Abuja?

AntiWailer:
They have started with incompetent lawyers


Later they wil shout democracy in danger .

Leonardo4:
So, ? Has PDP person not doing all the report since the tribunal begin?

Akpakomiza2:
https://guardian.ng/news/edo-election-tribunal-faults-pdp-for-failing-to-present-witnesses/

Optimistguy1969:
Na APC person do this report.
Nothing you wan tell me

Akpakomiza2:
https://guardian.ng/news/edo-election-tribunal-faults-pdp-for-failing-to-present-witnesses/

Pblueboy:
This was written by one of the urchins of APC....
I pray God will handle your life and that of your family just the way APC is ruling both the federal and state... Say a big Amen to that.

DeZoro:
PDP have strong reason to win this case if sincerity is employed

BluntCrazeMan:
The one Witness that appeared was enough for the day.!!

..
**Meanwhile..

ABOUT THE UPCOMING FUTURE ELECTIONS...

We cannot just continue to be participating in future elections -- if WE don't first-of-all force the INEC (Through Court Orders) to always ensure that ALL their Collation-Officers make use of the “BVAS-Machines” to settle ALL the Disputes that are raised by the party-agents and accredited observers before them.
(No matter at what Level Of Collation the disputes were raised).

The Collation Officers are bound by the Electoral Act to settle such disputes that were raised at their collation centers..
And there are penalties for Collation Officers who refused to do due diligence during Collation..

We cannot continue to be participating and voting in elections where the Collation Officers would continue to treat us like filthy rags every time..