By Seyi Odewale
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Sitting in Benin, yesterday, reserved rulings in the Motion on Notice, seeking to dismiss the petitions filed by Mr. Akhimie Kingston Afeare and Bishop Akhalamhe Amiemenoghe against Governor Monday Okpebholo’s declaration as the winner of September 21 election in Edo.
Akhimie and Akhalamhe, candidates of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the election, are challenging the conduct of the election in their petitions, dated and filed marked EPT/ED/GOV/06/2024 and EPT/ED/GOV/07/2024.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and All Progressives Congress (APC), the 1st to 3rd respondents, filed Motions on Notice before the Tribunal opposing the petitions.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi led a three-person Tribunal that reserved rulings to the judgment stage of the primary petitions after lawyers for the parties in the suit adopted their written briefs supported by various paragraphs of affidavits.
Lead counsel to the trio applicants, Abdullahi Aliyu SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), urged the Tribunal to grant their applications and the reliefs sought therein in the applications.
But counsel to the petitioners, Wisdom Isaac, Esq, prayed the court to dismiss the applications and confine them to the dustbin of history, claiming they lack merit.
While reserving a ruling for a later date, Justice Kpochi adjourned the sitting to January 20 to issue the Pre-hearing Report to the parties in the suit.
Similarly, the three-man Election Petition Tribunal also reserved rulings in the applications filed by INEC, Okpebholo, and APC, challenging the competency of the petitions filed by candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Anerua Abdulai Aliu, and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against the election to judgement stage of the petitions.
This was after counsel to the applicants, Abdullahi Aliyu, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, and the Petitioners, Jackson Ehiavbi, Esq., presented their briefs, supported by various paragraphs of affidavits, and adopted them.
In another development, the court also adjourned the hearing in the petition filed by the candidate of the Accord Party (AP), Dr. Bright Enabulele, against INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the September 21, 2024, poll at the petitioners’ instance.
When the case was called yesterday, counsel to the petitioners, Joe, said his clients’ last two witnesses were ill, and his client was sick; hence, he could not attend court.
When told to call the other witness, Tagher informed the Tribunal that the witness was on the subpoena and not in court.
He, therefore, prayed the court for adjournment.
Grating the prayer of the petitioners, which was not objected to by the respondents, Justice Wilfred Kpochi adjourned the case to January 21 for the continuation of the hearing.
