Edo Governorship: Ize-Iyamu, PDP open case at election tribunal

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the Edo September 28, 2016 governorship election on Wednesday opened his case before the Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led three-member tribunal sitting in Benin.

Governor Godwin Obaseki and Osagie Ize Iyamu of PDP

The PDP and Mr. Ize-Iyamu are challenging the declaration by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, of Godwin Obaseki of All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the governorship election.

The petitioners named INEC, Mr. Obaseki and the APC as first, second and third respondents respectively.
Edo State Governor, Godwin ObasekiEdo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki
INEC had declared Mr. Obaseki winner of the Edo governorship election after he pulled more than 319,483 votes to defeat Mr. Ize-Iyamu, his closest rival, who scored over 250,000 votes.

At the resumed hearing, the petitioners’ lawyer, Yusuf Ali, informed the tribunal that he was ready to open his case, saying “we are ready to tender all non contentious certified true copies(CTC) from the bar.

“And we have also carefully listed the documents we intended to be tendered for easy perusal by the tribunal,” he said.

With no objection from lawyers to the respondents, Mr. Ali went ahead to tender four CTC documents to the tribunal.

The tribunal marked tendered documents as exhibits and adjourned hearing till January 16.

Earlier, the tribunal in a ruling, warned that it would not hesitate to sanction any party that flouts its orders on representatives’ witnessing of the inspection of election materials at INEC office.

The tribunal said its order of November 16 on the matter remained sacrosanct

The tribunal, following an application by the petitioners, ruled that the parties should nominate five representatives each to witness the inspection of the scanning of the election materials at INEC office.

(NAN)