By Kadiri Christopher
The Action Peoples Party, Action Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, New Nigeria Peoples Party, and Action Democratic Party have recently submitted their petitions to the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal 2020, holding in Benin City, Edo State capital.
The tribunal which received the petitions from the five political parties who are praying the court to restrain Governor Godwin Obaseki from being recognized as governor.
Secretary of the tribunal, Mr Sunday Martins, who confirmed this recently, said the 21-day window period for the submission of petitions has elapsed with five political parties filing their cases.
Mr Martins however said, “the bailiff had not succeeded in personally serving Governor Obaseki the court notice.
“The governor must be served personally because it is an originating process”, he said.
All the petitions joined Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commissiom (INEC) as respondents.
The petition by ADP and it’s candidate, had that the governor, PDP, INEC and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress as defendants.
Candidate of AAP and AA are challenging their unlawful exclusion from the ballot papers by INEC, after having been validly nominated by their parties in line with the Electoral Act.
The APP and AA therefore, are praying the “tribunal to nullify the election and order a fresh polls to be conducted within 90 days”.
On their part, APM and NNPP are challenging the validity of Forms EC9 and CF001, reportedly submitted by Mr. Godwin Obaseki in respect of the 2020 and 2016 Governorship Election.
Also, ADP and its candidate, Emmanuel Iboi are asking the tribunal to look at the list of Vice Chancellors of the great University of Ibadan from 1947 till date. The petitioners referred to e-newspaper publication that announced the death of Prof. Tekena Tamuno among other documents.
Mr Iboi alleged in his petition that Prof Tamuno who was the VC of the UI from December 1975 to November 1979 could not have signed the certificate that Obaseki allegedly presented to the APC for screening.
He also pointed in his petition that the purported “University degree which he (Obaseki) claimed to have been issued him by the university, had no date on it”.
Mr Iboi therefore prayed and argued that Obaseki was not qualified to run for the polls, adding that votes credited to him should be “declared null and void and of no effect and value”.
It will be recalled that the candidate of the APC, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, after thoroughly going through the outcome of the election, said he will no go to the tribunal. He however said that he will continue with the preelection matters, already in courts.
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