The 3 man tribunal panel of the Edo State Governorship Election petition tribunal sitting in Benin city led by Justice Yunusa Musa has dismissed the 4 petitions before it seeking to nullify the September 19 governorship election that returned Governor Obaseki for the 2nd term in office last year.
The petitioners sought to ease Obaseki from office on grounds such as allegations of certificate forgery by the winner and his running mate, irregularities in the poll as well as alleged exclusion by INEC from the election.
The tribunal also awarded the sum of two hundred thousand naira cost against the petitioners Allied peoples movement APM to be paid to the first, third, and fourth respondents which are INEC, Governor Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy Philip Shaibu respectively.
Justice Suleiman Abubakar in his ruling on the petition filed by the Action Democratic Party, ADP, and its governorship candidate Lucky Iboi Emmanuel, who was seeking for a fresh election to be conducted, claiming the winner of the poll as at the time of the election was not qualified to contest the election over the alleged fake or forged certificate and has a double nomination from APC and PDP, said the evidence before it shows that the governor was qualified to contest the election.
He stressed that the issue of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s certificate saga has been settled by the judgment of the federal high court Abuja affirming that the governor is qualified.
The court also rule that the petitioner, ADP, fourth and fifth respondents which is APC and Osagie Ize-Iyamu did not establish the case of double nomination against Governor Godwin Obaseki.
On the second ruling of the day delivered by the chairman of the tribunal , Justice Yunusa Musa on the petition by action peoples party APP seeking the nullification of the september 19 Governorship election over alleged exclusion of it’s candidate by INEC.
Justice Yunusa Musa dismissed the petition of the APP saying that the party can not claim that the APP was excluded from taking part in the election when the election results show that the party participated in the election and scored a total of 78 votes.
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The Allied people’s movement APM petition was next for ruling, APM,the party wanted the election nullified on grounds that it was characterized with irregularities and that the third and fourth respondents which is the governor and his deputy respectively were not qualified to contest the election
This petition by the APM was equally dismissed by the chairman of the tribunal for lack of merit, saying the petitioner could not prove his case of irregularities and non-qualification against the third and fourth respondents.
The tribunal awarded a cost of 200, 000 Naira to the petitioner to be paid to the first, third, and fourth respondents which are INEC, Governor Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy Philip Shaibu.
The fourth petition of the day filed by Agol Ebun Tracy, governorship candidate of the new Nigeria peoples party NNPP, also seeking for the election be nullified over alleged certificate forgery was also dismissed by Justice Olufunmilayo Stanley for lack of merit and awarded a cost of 150,000 naira against the petitioner to be paid to the first and second respondents that are INEC and PDP.
(Editor: Abaje Usekwe)
