Ighodalo has tendered over 1,000 documents to upturn Okpebholo’s victory in Edo State.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election, Dr Asue Ighodalo on Friday, opened his case challenging the victory of Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by tendering over 1000 documents used in the election, in support of his petition.
Ighodalo and th PDP in a petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 are contesting Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo, winner of the election alleging that there were irregularities during the exercise.
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Ighodalo claimed that he scored the highest valid votes and not Okpebholo and wondered why the INEC would declare him the winner.
When hearing resumes on Friday, the Lead counsel to the Petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, tendered from the bar Certified True Copy (CTC) of Form EC8E which is the INEC’s final declaration result sheet of the poll in support of the petitioners’ cases.
Kenneth Mozia, who conducted the presentations at the instance of Oyeyipo also tendered CTC of Form EC8D; the summary of results from Local Government Areas Collation at the State Level.
Other documents tenders were Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state, CTC of Forms EC8B (Wards Results Sheets) used for the conduct of the election in the 192 Wards in the state were also tendered by Mozia, all in support of the petitioner’s cases.
The petitioners further tendered in evidence 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling Units results sheets),
While presenting before the court 318 CTCs of INEC’s Polling Units Booklets, each containing Form EC25D, Mozia, again, tendered in court 58 CTCs of Form EC8A (IREV).
Reacting, counsel to INEC, Governor Monday Okpebholo and APC (1st to 3rd respondents), Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and D.C. Denwigwe, SAN, who held the brief of Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents.
The respondent’s counsel told the court that they would be abducing reasons for their objections to the petitioners’ CTC documents at the final address stage of the petition.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi led the tribunal in response provisionally admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and marked the same as exhibits.
“Learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage”, Justice Kpochi held.
Hearing on the petition continues tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, 2024 as the petitioners are expected to tender more documents in support of their petitions.
