EDO ELECTION : Obaseki files appeal at the Supreme Court

EDO ELECTION :  Obaseki files appeal at the Supreme Court

The embattled governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has filed an appeal at the Supreme Court against the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Obaseki, APC and INEC lost their application at the Court of Appeal where they sought to invalidate the recounting of ballot papers ordered by the Justice Badamosi led Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal at the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City ruled that the tribunal was in order to have ordered the recounting and that the recounted ballots will go in issue in determining the case before the tribunal.

However the tribunal, in delivering judgement, curiously ignored the result of the ballot recount and ruled that the election result as declared by INEC is valid notwithstanding, in so far as the total number of voters did not exceed the total number of registered voters, even if it exceeded the total number of accredited voters.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Pastor Osagie Andres Ize-Iyamu, their candidate, have resolved to appeal this decision at the tribunal.

Many legal experts are of the view that the Court of Appeal will not uphold the decision of the tribunal because it sought to establish rules that are alien to the Electoral Act and subsidiary legislation.

This may have informed the APC lawyers to commence a preemptive appeal to the Supreme Court intended to remove the hurdle that may stand in the way for the Court of Appeal to give their decision on the matter.

The APC candidate in the election, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, is asking the Supreme Court to expunge the results of the recounted wards and units from the records of proceedings of the Tribunal.

The results of the recount showed wide disparity between INEC released results and the actual voting.

Legal luminaries in Nigeria as well as politically active citizens of Edo State are curious as to why Obaseki and APC who believe that they won the election as INEC result claimed, fight tooth and nail against having a complete recount or accepting the results of the partial recount.

This time around, they  even approach the Supreme Court fighting against the result of the recount forming part of the record of proceedings.

Daniel Ogbegie Esq. , Head of Chambers of Ogbegie and Associates, a law firm in highbrow Akpakpava Street in Benin City queried the rationale for people mounting pressures on the PDP candidate from appealing the decision.

“Why is Obaseki and his APC putting pressure on Osagie Ize-Iyamu not to appeal the flawed judgement of the Tribunal when they themselves are appealing the part that didn’t favour them?” Ogbegie said.