APC and PDP are currently trading blame over the Edo Election Tribunal shooting.
NewsOnline Nigeria reported that there was anxiety among passersby and motorists along adjoining roads near the location of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City, as suspected armed thugs shot sporadically for unclear reasons, which made people around to run for safety.
This came as the Election Petition Tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, yesterday, commenced hearing on the seven petitions challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winner of the 2024, governorship election in the state.
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A video captured the moment an unidentified youth with a white face cap, T-shirt and a facemask, who loaded bullets into a pump-action rifle shot severally into the air shouting, he later entered a white Toyota Hilux that took him away.
APC, PDP bicker over shootings by suspected thug
Reacting, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Jarrett Tenebe alleged that the supporters of the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo were responsible for the attack.
He said: “Today’s shooting incident within the venue of the Governorship Election Tribunal in Benin City involving members of the opposition PDP is a deeply disturbing and unacceptable act of violence.
“The Tribunal is a sacred space where justice is meant to be administered impartially. Any act of violence within its walls undermine the very foundation of our legal system and threatens the safety of all involved.
“Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable. We must all condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.
“Violence has no place in a civilized society, and those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception.”
Meanwhile, reacting also, acting Chairman of PDP in the state, Tony Aziegbemi said the allegation that the thugs were sponsored by PDP was false.
He said: “The APC in Edo State, which is clearly scared of justice, has 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 and has now resorted to deploying thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process, while pointing accusing fingers at our party.
“We strongly dissociate ourselves from the shooting incident that occurred today at the venue of the Governorship Election Tribunal in Benin City, and want to unequivocally state that this shameful incident is yet another in the series of clandestine efforts by the APC to frustrate the legal process and tarnish the image of our party.
“Please tell me, why would the PDP attempt to disrupt the only opportunity it has to reclaim the mandate given to it by the people of Edo State during the last governorship election?
“The PDP is aware that its only pathway to justice is through the legal process, so, it would be utterly senseless for anyone to suggest that the party would deploy thugs to disrupt this very process and jeopardize its own chances.
“We urge the APC to exhibit more intelligence when concocting these lies and peddling their usual falsehoods to advance their devious plans. No one needs to be told that it is the APC that is orchestrating this chaos, resorting to disguising their thugs in PDP-branded attire in a desperate and poorly executed attempt to mislead the public.
“We also want to state that the PDP directed all its supporters and members to stay away from today’s tribunal proceedings. This directive was strictly adhered to because we anticipated APC’s plans to instigate violence and disrupt the proceedings. Unfortunately, we did not foresee that they would stoop so low, employing thugs and masking them in PDP-branded attires in their desperate attempt to cling to power at all costs.
“While we are surprised that the police did not arrest the individual who was shooting sporadically in public without restraint, we are calling on them and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the gun-wielding thug, whose face was clearly visible in the video trending on social media, is arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law,” he said.
Accord opens case for hearing
The tribunal adjourned hearing in petition by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to January 17, 2024, for the parties to have a pre-hearing meeting with the court Registry on Thursday on the way to go about presentation of documents by the parties.
The PDP, Accord party; Allied Peoples Movement, APM; Action Democratic Party, ADP; Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, are challenging the victory of the APC and Governor Okpebholo.
When the hearing commenced, yesterday, the candidate of the Accord party, Dr. Bright Enabulele, through his counsel, J. Dagher opened his case with the presentation of three witnesses in support of his petition.
Prosecution Witness 1(PW1), Mr. Zakaria Yahaya, adopted his witness statement and prayed the court to rely on it in support of the petitioner’s case.
Daisy Nwanchukwu, who claimed to have functioned as polling Unit Agent in Oredo Unit 9, Ward 3 also appeared as a witness before the tribunal.
For the 70-year-old PW3, Victoria Ogbebor, she stated in her witness statement that she acted as a unit agent in Unit 32 for her party in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state during the election.
The Accord Party suit was adjourned to today for continuation of 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 and maintained that the document set to tender from the bar were arranged very well to make the entire process seamless for parties before the court.
But counsel to Okpebholo, APC and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, Emmanuel Ogala SAN, and Kanu Agabi, SAN, opposed the submission of the petitioners’ counsel, maintaining that the documents should have been filed before the court before same could be admitted as exhibits.
Speaking to journalists shortly after the court adjournment, Ighodalo expressed confidence in the judiciary to reclaim his mandate.
