BY ANTHONY OCHELA, ABUJA
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday commenced their defense before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja by tendering three documents in evidence.
Dr. Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are challenging the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 2024 election.
Tendering the documents on behalf of INEC, their Counsel, A. Amaliu said they include the Certified True Copy, CTC, of form EC8D which is the collation of results at state level; the CTC of Declaration of Result and the CTC of Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections 2022.
Counsel for the Petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo,SAN; that of Gov. Okpebholo, Dr. Oyechi Ekpeazu,SAN; and Emmanuel Ukala,SAN for APC did not object to the admissibility of the documents.
The Chairman of the three-member Tribunal, Wilfred Kpochi, therefore admitted the documents as exhibits R1,R2 and R3.
Lead counsel for INEC, Kanu Agabi, SAN had said that INEC will be calling their witnesses tomorrow(Thursday) and Amaliu explained that this is because the witnesses are coming from Benin in Edo and are unavailable today because of travel constraints.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Kpochi who frowned at the development called it “a waste of time.”
He noted that INEC had since Monday to make travel arrangements for their witnesses and demanded assurance that the witnesses will be ready on Thursday as promised.
Amaliu tried to remind the tribunal that they had been provisionally given ten days for their defense and they intend to call three witnesses and hopefully close their case same day, but Kpochi would have none it, saying the time “was not cast in stone.”
All Counsels to the other parties did not object to the request for adjournment and the Chairman adjourned proceedings to February 6 for continuation of hearing.
Ighodalo and his party are challenging the declaration of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Monday Okpebholo as governor over alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
They alleged that, Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of majority votes cast at the election as required by law as well as over voting.
During the course of their argument, the petitioners called a total of 19 witnesses and presented other supporting documents to back up their claims before the tribunal.
