Obaseki celebrates tribunal’s judgement

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has said that the Election Petition Tribunal’s judgement is a clear testimony that his victory at the Edo 2016 Governorship election is free and fair.
Obaseki said this while speaking with newsmen in Benin on Friday after the tribunal affirmed his victory at the Edo 2016 Governorship election.
The governor said that the judgement would rekindle his energy to work for the people of the state.
Obaseki commended the judges and his counsel for the level of professionalism displayed in handling the election petition.
He noted that the judgement was well-researched and clear that the opposition had no ground or merit in their petition.
Obaseki said, “this judgement is clearly a testimony that we won our election free and fair and that the people of Edo are solidly behind our party, APC and our government.’’
“We thank God, we thank the judges, we thank our counsel for the amazing job they have done.
“We want all of you to go back peacefully and observe a wonderful holiday, ‘’ he said.
The tribunal affirmed the victory of Obaseki as the winner of the Governorship election held on Sept. 28, 2016.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, challenged Obaseki’s election, alleging widespread irregularities.
Obaseki contested on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Earlier, the Edo Election Petition Tribunal had upheld Obaseki’s election as governor of the South-South state.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led three member tribunal, dismissed the petition filed by Ize-Iyamu as lacking in merit.
Badamasi held that the petitioners failed in all fronts to prove the allegations as pleaded in their petitions.
“The petitioners have failed to prove their case with credible evidence and is therefore dismissed,’’ he said.
The tribunal held that while the petitioners abandoned some of their pleadings, “witnesses evidences were controverted under cross examination’’.
“The much talked about ticking and over voting by the petitioners have not be specifically proved beyond reasonable doubts.
“And not calling witnesses to prove their allegations of corrupt practices and over voting was fatal to their case and is deemed to have abandoned their pleadings,’’ he held.
Badamasi, therefore, held that “the petitioners have failed to prove their case with credible evidence to show that they are entitled to their pleadings’’.
“Accordingly, the petition has failed and is hereby dismissed,’’ he said.
The petitioners had listed INEC, Obaseki and the APC as first, second and third respondents.
Ize-Iyamu had asked the tribunal to nullify the election of Obaseki and declare him winner, having scored majority of the lawful votes cast among other reliefs.
He averred that INEC was wrong to had declared Obaseki winner of the September 28 governorship election.
 
Ize-Iyamu also alleged that the election was fraught with corrupt practices and over voting.
He added that INEC did not comply with the relevant provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) in the conduct of the said election.
In his reaction, Ize-Iyamu said that the judgement which dismissed his petition was unacceptable.
Ize-Iyamu told party leaders and supporters at a forum attended by the state chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, that the judgement would be appealed at a higher court.
“From the snippets I heard, the tribunal’s judgement cannot stand in the higher courts. This case must be pursued up to the Supreme Court, ” he said.
Orbih thanked their supporters and assured them that the “journey ahead would be shorter.”
“I want to thank God that we have all been able to reach this part of the journey. What gladdens my heart is that  God will vindicate us in the long run.
“Do not be dismayed. We are still hoping for your support. I urge you all to be calm and refrain from being provoked.
“We reject the judgement of the tribunal; it is not acceptable to us and we have told our lawyers to appeal the judgment as the issues raised in the petition were not addressed by the tribunal,” he said.