The Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) Wednesday told the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that it has lined up about five witnesses to testify on its behalf.
The Commission at the tribunal persuaded the panels to adjourn further proceedings in the case till Thursday, saying most of its witnesses would be coming from Benin, in Edo state, to testify before it.
Although ten days were originally allocated for the electoral body to present its case, it appears it may only utilize three days.
On Wednesday, INEC tendered before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, result of the gubernatorial poll it conducted in the state on September 21, 2024.
Led by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, the commission produced the certified true copy of the disputed result, which was contained in its Form EC8D.
A member of the electoral body’s legal team, Mr. Abdullahi Aliyu, SAN, equally tendered in evidence, a certified document that contained the declaration of the result as well as a copy of INEC’s Regulations & Guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, who is challenging the outcome of the election, through his lawyer, Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, did not oppose the admissibility of the three documents in evidence.
Oyeyipo, SAN, in his arguments said the petitioners had also annexed the same documents in the case they filed to prove that the outcome of the governorship election was flawed.
Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, who represented Governor Monday Okpebholo and Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, who appeared for the All Progressives Congress APC) did not also object to the admittance of the three documents in evidence.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member panel tribunal, thereafter marked the documents as Exhibits R-1, R-2 and R-3.
INEC had declared that Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291, 667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got a total of 247, 655 votes.
Dissatisfied by the outcome, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, praying it to nullify INEC’s declaration of the APC and Okpebholo as winners of the contest.
