Tribunal reserves ruling on INEC, Okpebholo, APC application, others

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Sitting in Benin, on Thursday, reserved rulings in the Motion on Notice, seeking to dismiss the petitions filed by Mr. Akhimie Kingston Afeare and Bishop Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena, against the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, as winner of September 21 election in Edo.

Akhimie and Akhalamhe, candidates of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the election in their petitions dated and filed marked EPT/ED/GOV/06/2024 and EPT/ED/GOV/07/2024, are challenging the conduct of the election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and All Progressives Congress (APC), 1st to 3rd respondents earlier in their opposition to the petitions filed Motions on Notice before the Tribunal.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi led three-man Tribunal reserved rulings to the judgment stage of the main petitions after lawyers to 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 the applications lack merit.

While reserving the ruling to a later date, Justice Kpochi adjourned the sitting to Monday, January 20, 2025, for the issuance of a pre-hearing Report to parties in the suit.

Similarly, the tribunal also reserved rulings in the applications filed by INEC, Okpebholo, and APC, challenging the competency of the petitions filed by candidates of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Anerua Abdulai Aliu and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against the election to judgement stage of the petitions.

In another development, the court also adjourned the hearing in the petition filed by the candidate of the Acord Party (AP), Dr. Bright Enabulele, against INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the September 21, 2024 poll at the instance of the petitioners.

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When the case was called on Thursday, counsel to the petitioners, Joel Tagher, told the court that one of the last two witnesses of his clients was ill, hence he could not make it to court.

He, therefore, prayed the court for adjournment.

Granting the prayer of the petitioners which was not objected to by the respondents, Justice Wilfred Kpochi adjourned the case to Tuesday, January 21, for a continuation of the hearing.

The petitioners opened their cases on Wednesday and called three witnesses out of the five witnesses scheduled to testify in their favour.