Edo Governorship: Tribunal Adjourns PDP’s Petition for Pre-hearing Conference, Documents’ Inspection

The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-man Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Edo State, yesterday, adjourned hearing to January 17, 2025 on a petition filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to enable parties have a pre-hearing meeting with the court registry today on the way to go about presentation of documents by the petitioners.

The tribunal had commenced full hearing on the petitions challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the governorship election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of PDP, who recorded 247,274 votes.

Not satisfied, the petitioners, Ighodalo, PDP, Accord Party (AP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Social Democratic Party (SDP), dragged INEC, Okpebholo, and APC before the court to challenge the declaration and conduct of the election.

When the matter was called for hearing, Ken Mozia, SAN, who held the brief of the petitioners’ lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, told the court that his clients were ready to tender carefully arranged documents used in the conduct of the election.

Mozia maintained that the documents to be tendered from the bar were arranged very well to make the entire process seamless for parties before the court.

However, counsels to Okpebholo, APC and INEC, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, Emmanuel Ukala SAN, and Kanu Agabi, SAN, opposed the submission, maintaining that the documents should have been filed before the court before same could be admitted as exhibits.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the adjournment, Ighodalo expressed confidence in the judiciary, and said he would reclaim his mandate.

He commended the people of the state for their overwhelming votes during the governorship election.

Meanwhile, PDP accused APC of being responsible for sporadic gunshots heard close to the tribunal venue yesterday. But APC fingered PDP for the shooting.

In a statement, PDP’s Acting Chairman, Caretaker Committee, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, said APC, “who are clearly scared of justice, have continued their devious ploy to frustrate our party, the PDP, from reclaiming the mandate duly given to us by the good people of Edo State in the last governorship election at the tribunal, have now resorted to deploying thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process, while pointing accusing fingers at our party.”

APC countered, and declared that the shooting involved members of the opposition PDP.

In a press statement, APC’s state chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, said the tribunal was a sacred space where justice was meant to be administered impartially, adding that any act of violence within its walls undermines the very foundation of the legal system, and threatens the safety of all involved.

In a related development, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) stated that one Mr Jonathan Okunbor, who was under investigation for alleged N6 billion fraud was not a witness for PDP at the election petition tribunal in Benin City.

A statement released by the anti-graft agency claimed that the sum of N6 billion belonging to Edo State was diverted to Kezmith Global Ventures owned by Okunbor.

EFCC stated, “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to a trending video insinuating that Mr. Jonathan Okunbor,  a suspect being investigated for an alleged N6 billion fraud, was an election witness.

“The commission wishes to state without any equivocation that Okunbor is not a witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the election tribunal, as claimed by Mr. Asue Ighodalo.

“Rather, he is a prime suspect connected to a case of misappropriation of funds involving all the 18 local government areas of Edo State.”

The statement signed by Head, Media and Publicity, Mr Dele Oyewale, added that the suspect was running the ventures using the name and identity of one Mr. Godfrey Emode.

The statement explained that the commission’s investigators, in their quest to unearth the alleged shadiness of Okunbor, arrested Emode, who led them to the suspect in Eterno Hotel, where a pre-trial meeting was being held.

The commission added, “Investigators interrogated the counsel to Ighodalo on the status of Okunbor in the election tribunal matters and he clearly stated that he was not a witness in the matter.

“In spite of this, Mr. Ighodalo and his co-travellers at Eterno Hotel prevented EFCC officers from carrying out their constitutional duty and obstructed them from arresting Okunbor.

“Specifically, Ighodalo insisted that Okunbor was his witness when it was obvious that he only wanted to aid his escape from the Commission’s investigators.”