The Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Benin, capital of Edo State, has dismissed the election petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, against the All Progressives Congress (APC), Godwin Obaseki, who won the 2016 Edo State governorship poll,
The three-man tribunal, led by Justice Ahmed Badamasi, today, Friday, said that Ize-Iyamu and the PDP’s petition lack credible evidence to prove their case. The tribunal, therefore, upheld the election of Governor Obaseki.
Ize-Iyamu and the PDP had challenged INEC’s declaration of Obaseki as the winner of the Sept. 28, 2016 election.
Reacting to the judgment, Ize-Iyamu said that he would take the case to a superior court, saying that he hoped to win. He told party leaders and supporters at a forum attended by the state chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, that the judgment would be appealed at a higher court.
“From the snippets I heard, the tribunal’s judgment cannot stand in the higher courts. This case must be pursued up to the Supreme Court.”
This was even as Chief Dan Orbih assured the party supporters that the “journey ahead would be shorter.
“I want to thank God that we have all been able to reach this part of the journey. What gladdens my heart is that God will vindicate us in the long run.
“Do not be dismayed. We are still hoping for your support. I urge you all to be calm and refrain from being provoked.
“We reject the judgment of the tribunal; it is not acceptable to us and we have told our lawyers to appeal the judgment as the issues raised in the petition were not addressed by the tribunal,” he said.
NAN. [myad]
