Ize-Iyamu asks tribunal to declare him winner of Edo guber poll

THE candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 28, 2016, governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, on Monday became the first witness to testify in a case filed by him and his party, against the declaration of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)on Mr Godwin Obaseki being the winner of the September 28 election.

The PDP candidate, who spoke when he was called in as witness, told the Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led panel that he scored the highest number of votes in the election and that he should be declared winner of the election.

He said his deposition at the tribunal was based on INEC’s documents used to conduct the election which includes the result sheets and voters’ registers.

He declared that he swore an oath for four documents which he adopted as his testimony in the case, saying, “I want the tribunal to declare me as the winner of the election, having scored the majority votes.”

He said that he was certain about the number of polling units, where Obaseki‎ was declared winner, he did not challenge the outcome of the poll based on all the 2,629 polling units.

While being cross-examined by Obaseki’s counsel‎, Ken Mozia (SAN), Ize-Iyamu said his claims in his petition could not be described as false as he could not remember all the polling units in the 18 local government areas of the state.

Another witness called by the petitioners, one Anthony Lawani‎, also informed the tribunal during cross-examination that there was an alleged incident of over-voting in one of the wards in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area.

When he was accused by the counsel to INEC, Onyinye Anumonye, of allegedly saying that he monitored the exercise in all the wards in Akoko-Edo, ‎the witness said that he monitored the election through phone calls.

He claimed that identity card given to him by the electoral umpire permitted him to make phone calls, rather than move around for monitoring.

Lawani also affirmed that he did not state the scores of the remaining political parties that fielded candidates for the election, aside the APC and the PDP.