By Jude Opara
The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City yesterday admitted 1004 documents tendered before it by Dr Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the election.
Peoples Daily reports that the candidate and his party are challenging the conduct of the election as well as the declaration of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), candidate, Monday Okpebholo as winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC).
Ken Mozia, Counsel to the Petitioner, tendered the documents at the resume hearing of the petition.
The 1004 documents tendered are all admitted as exhibits by the three-man tribunal chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi.
The documents included the Certified True Copies (CTC) of INEC declaration of results forms EC8A-E and Local Government Areas summary of results used for the conduct of the September 21, 2024 Governorship Election in the State.
Also tendered are Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state.
Certified True Copies, CTC of Forms EC8B (Wards Results Sheets) used for the conduct of the election in the 192 Wards in the state were also tendered in support of the petitioners cases.
The petitioners further tendered in evidence 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling Units results sheets),
Others tendered by the petitioners are 318 CTCs of INEC’s Polling Units Booklets, each containing Form EC25D and 58 CTCs of Forms EC8A (IREV).
At the tendering of the documents, Mozia said the verification of the over 1004 documents were duly done in the presence of the lawyers of the parties and the tribunal Registrar.
Despite, the objection to the admissibility of the documents by respondents counsel which include Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN and VC Dewigwe, the tribunal admitted them as exhibits.
The respondents counsel said they would be giving reasons for the objections to the petitioners’ CTC documents at the final address of the petition.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led tribunal, however, provisionally admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and marked them as exhibits.
“Learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage”, said Justice Kpochi
The tribunal, however, adjourned to Saturday, January 18, 2025 for continuation of hearing as the petitioners are expected to tender more documents in support of their petitions.
The admission of the documentary evidence the Petitioners Dr. Ighodalo and PDP would proceed to lead oral evidence in support of the petitions.
