Edo gov election petition tribunal set up, ready to receive petitions

Justice Dongban-Mensem

The President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban- Mensem has established the Election Petitions Tribunal Secretariat and constituted a panel to handle petitions arising from the September 19, 2020 governorship poll conducted in Edo State.

The Secretary to the Tribunal, Sunday Martins said in a statement on Tuesday that the secretariat of the Tribunal is now opened to receive petitions arising from the election.

The statement said the High Court Complex in Benin, the Edo State capital, had been designated as the venue of the Tribunal sitting.

According to the statement, “The general public is hereby put on notice that the Honourable President of Court of Appeal of Nigeria, Hon. Justice M. B Dongban Mensem has established the Election Petition Tribunal Secretariat and accordingly constituted a panel in respect of the Governorship Election conducted in Edo State.

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“The Honorable Chief Judge of the State-Hon. Justice E. A. Edigin has graciously approved the use of High Court Complex (Election Petition Court Hall), Sapele Road, Benin City for the Tribunal Exercise. The Secretariat is now open”, the statement added.

The Tribunal will hear and determine petitions by aggrieved candidates and political parties who were dissatisfied with the results of the September 19 governorship election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC had on Sunday declared Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the said election, having defeated Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and 12 other candidates.

Justice Monica Dongban-Mensem, had in line with her statutory powers, constituted judges to serve on the election petition tribunals for the governorship elections in Edo State and that of Ondo State, as well as other legislative elections in different parts of the country.

Before the Edo elections, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad, had on September 10, 2020, sworn in 85 judges to serve on the tribunals to handle petitions arising from the elections.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Temitope Adegbuyi