Edo poll: APC heads for Supreme Court

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8 years ago

DESPITE the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal in its favour over the 2016 election in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court.

But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the move as a sign of panic by the ruling party.

APC is asking the apex court to set aside the Court of Appeal judgment on its cross appeal over the recounting of ballot papers by the tribunal.

The appellate court had dismissed the cross appeal by the APC as third respondent in the petition before the tribunal, where Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his party, the PDP, challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration of Obaseki of the APC winner of the election.

The suit, which was filed on April 20 2017, few days after the tribunal judgment, has Ize-Iyamu, the PDP, the INEC and its governorship candidate, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as respondents.

The APC had challenged the tribunal’s approval to PDP and Ize-Iyamu’s prayer for the ballot papers used in four local government areas of the state: Egor, Etsako East, Etsako West and Akoko-Edo, to be recounted.

The tribunal had ordered the stoppage of the recounting exercise, following the expiration of the 14 days allotted the petitioners to prove their case.

The petitioners had approached the Appeal Court to challenge the discontinuation by the tribunal of the recounting of the ballot papers.

In its verdict, the Appellate Court held that the decision of the tribunal to stop the recounting of the ballot papers after the expiration of the time alloted the petitioner was right, but okayed the order of the Tribunal to order the recount.

The Supreme court has not fixed a date to hear the suit.

In a reaction, Edo chairman of the PDP, Dan Orbih, described the appeal as a panic measure by the APC and Obaseki to defend a judgment he said could not stand.

Orbit said: “They are panicking, fidgeting and worried about the Mama Akara judgment they got.”

“It simply shows that there can never be rest for people who forcefully take what does not belong to them.

“You will expect them to rest and enjoy their victory now, but they are troubled because they are aware of the legal catastrophe that awaits them at the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court.”