The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has announced an adjournment until March 3, when the parties will be able to adopt their final written addresses regarding the dispute related to the governorship election conducted on September 21, 2024.

This date was confirmed by the Tribunal’s Chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, after the lawyer for the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ferdinand Orbih (SAN), stated that his client’s case had been closed.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, are disputing the declaration of APC’s Monday Okpebholo as the election winner, contending that there were significant flaws in the electoral process.

At the resumption of proceedings yesterday, Orbih initially told the tribunal that he would not be able to proceed with the case because the documents his team sought to tender were yet to be brought from Benin.

Orbih subsequently changed his mind and said having reviewed the conduct of the case and evidence led so far, his team found no need to lead further evidence.

The APC, which is the third respondent in the case, had promised to call 28 witnesses. It called four on Wednesday when it opened its case.

Orbih said: “We have carefully done a further comprehensive review of the evidence led by the petitioners, evidence elicited from their witnesses under cross-examination, the evidence led so far by the respondents in this petition and the documentary evidence presented before the tribunal.

“We have also considered the fact that time is of the essence and there is no need embarking on an exercise that will not take into account that the time of the tribunal is precious.

“Taking all these factors into consideration, we are happy to close the third respondent’s case, with the leave of the tribunal,” Orbih said.

Lawyer to the petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN); Kanu Agabi (SAN) for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) for Okpebholo, did not object to Orbih’s application to close the case of the APC.

The tribunal, however, rejected Orbih’s request that the seven days earlier allocated to the respondents to file their final written addresses should be extended by three days.

Ruling, Justice Kpochi held that the days earlier allocated to parties could not be extended because the tribunal also required adequate time to consider all evidence led, including documents tendered.

He ordered the respondents to file their addresses within seven days, beginning from February 14; the petitioners to file within five days from the date of service, while the respondents shall file their replies, if any, within three days.

Alhaji Abdulmajid Dan Bilki Commander, a distinguished politician from Kano and a key member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has stated that he regrets his decision to campaign for President Ahmed Bola Tinubu during the 2023 general election.

In a telephone interview with Daily Trust, he noted that the performance indicators known to all Nigerians reveal that President Tinubu has not fulfilled the expectations of many who voted for him in 2023.

He emphasized that he has never regretted any action as deeply as he does his support for President Tinubu.

“It pains me, but it is the truth and let the truth be told. I am an active member of APC, but I must admit that Nigeria’s administration under APC has failed Nigerians and as an individual who had dedicated his time and resources in convincing people to vote for the party, I want to state here that I am regretting my action,” he said.

Commander also stated that as a representative of the masses, he has to seek for their forgiveness as what he had promised them from the APC-led government were not been delivered to them.

He explained that Nigerians were suffering and their expectations from the APC government were not met.

“Nigerians are hungry and angry. Their security not guaranteed and governance lopsided, they couldn’t afford two square meals per day,” he said.

Credit: Daily Trust

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, has asserted that the party is poised for success at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in Abuja, attributing this confidence to the robust nature of their petition and the qualifications of their witnesses.

Speaking in Benin yesterday, he noted that the PDP’s petition contesting the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on September 21, 2024, is unparalleled and distinct from the typical petitions seen in Nigeria.

Aziegbemi stated, “I am assured that the tribunal will recognize PDP and its governorship candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, as the legitimate winners of the election, due to the substantial evidence we have provided.”

“In the petition, we did not plead financial inducement or ballot box snatching that will be difficult to prove. We focused on over-voting.

“If the law says where the number of votes cast is more than the number of accredited voters, and such is authenticated by the BVAS extract, it means the unit’s result must be cancelled because of over voting. These are things you can place your fingers on and say if it happened and you can prove that it happened, and you have documents to show that it happened, because INEC certified all the documents for us. That is where our confidence stems from. This is why our petition is unique.

“The only witness by Okpebholo at the tribunal’s sitting on Monday admitted that there was over-voting in his Ovia Southwest Local Government of Edo State. We used him to authenticate what we have been saying that there was over-voting in 133 polling units in the local government.’’

Edo PDP chairman urged the teeming members of the party to remain calm and law-abiding, while being confident of victory at the tribunal.

The sitting of the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal will continue today.