Tribunal affirms Gov. Obaseki’s victory, dismisses 4 petitions seeking nullification

The three-man panel of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City led by Justice Yunusa Musa in a unanimous judgment has dismissed the four petitions before it seeking the September 19 governorship election to be nullified.

The petitioners sought the Tribunal to nullify the election on different grounds such as allegations of certificate forgery by the winner and his running mate, irregularities in the poll as well as alleged exclusion by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, from the election.

The Tribunal awarded the sum of 200, 000 naira cost against the petitioner, 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 delivered the ruling on the petition filed by the Action Democratic Party, ADP, and its governorship candidate, Lucky Iboi Emmanuel, seeking the September 19 governorship election to be nullified and a fresh election to be conducted.

The INEC, claiming the winner of the poll as of the time of the election was not qualified to contest over the alleged fake or forged certificate.

The petitioner also claimed that the third respondent has the double nomination of APC and PDP.

The Tribunal said that the petitioner failed to prove the alleged certificate forgery of the third respondent.

Justice Abubakar dismissed the petition and ruled that the evidence before it showed that the Governor was qualified to contest the election saying the issues of Governors Obaseki certificate has been settled by the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja which exonerated the governor of any forgery.

The court also ruled that the petitioner, ADP, fourth and fifth respondents which are APC and Osagie Ize-Iyamu failed to establish the case of double nomination against the third respondent.

Justice Musa also dismissed the petition of the APP saying that the party cannot 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.

The APM petition was next for a ruling. The APM wants the election to be nullified on grounds that it was characterized with irregularities and that the third and fourth respondents which are the Governor and his Deputy respectively were not qualified to contest the election.

The petition by the APM was also 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 against the petitioner to be paid to the first, third, and fourth respondents each which are INEC, Governor Obaseki, and his Deputy.

The fourth petition of the day filed by ‌Agol Ebun Tracy, governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, also seeking the election to be nullified over alleged certificate forgery by the Governor Obaseki, claiming the respondent was not qualified to contest the election. ‌

The petition was also dismissed in a judgment read by Justice Olufunmilayo Stanley for lack of merit and awarded a cost of 150,000 naira against the petitioner to be paid each to the first and second respondents; INEC and PDP.