The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City has upheld the ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against the Action Democratic Party, ADP, reaffirming the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki at the 2020 governorship election.
The Judgement comes barely two months after the Elections Petitions Tribunal had struck out the petition by the ADP and its governorship candidate, Iboi Lucky, challenging the outcome of the September 19, 2020, governorship election, which returned Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Governor of Edo State.
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Delivering the judgment in the case, marked CA/B/EPT/GOV/01 & 1A/2021 Action Democratic Party & Anor v. INEC & 2Ors, the Appeal Court held that Obaseki did not forge his certificates with which he contested the 2020 governorship election, hence it dismissed the appeal filed by the ADP and its candidate.
In the case marked /B/EPT/GOV/02/2021 Action Peoples Party, APP, vs Godwin N. Obaseki & 2Ors, the Court unanimously upheld the Judgment of the Tribunal and dismissed the Appeal with six hundred thousand naira cost each on two different counts as the Governor won all eight issues for determination in the appeal.
Delivering the judgment in favour of Obaseki, the Presiding Justice, Hon. Justice M.A. Owoade, dismissed the main appeal, the preliminary objection, and the cross-appeal.
The Judge noted that the inclusion of the APC and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as respondents in the petition, was a ploy by Ize-Iyamu to fight his case through another petitioner, describing it as a case of squeezing the rock for water.
Edited by Tunde Orebiyi
