The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has shifted further proceedings till February 6 at the instance of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, whose five witnesses were not in court.
INEC was billed to begin its defense on the conduct of the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial poll on February 5 but came to the Tribunal with information that it’s witnesses have been held up.
Counsel to the electoral body, Abdullahi Aliyu, informed the Tribunal that the five listed witnesses were held up on their trip from Benin City and opted to tender three documents in order to make a semblance of progress in the day’s proceedings.
The documents tendered by the electoral body are the Certified True Copies of the Collation of results at the State level, Form EC8D), the declaration of results and the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022.
INEC, however, assured the Tribunal that it will need just one day to conclude its case and applied for a short adjournment.
The Tribunal chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi faulted INEC’s approach, stating that the whole day was wasted due to lack of things to do but INEC’s legal team said it has a ten-day timeline for its defence, adding it has sufficient time yet.
On his part, counsel for Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democractic Party, PDP, Adetunji Oyeyipo did not object to INEC’s tendering of the documents, stating they are the same documents he has already tendered to prove his case that the outcome of the Edo governorship election was flawed.
Meanwhile, further proceedings have been adjourned to February 6.
