Edo gov’ship: PDP witnesses absent as tribunal resumes in Abuja

The relocated Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has resumed hearing in Abuja with the panel criticising the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s inability to produce witnesses.    

A three-member panel of justices presided by Justice Wilfred Kpochi on Tuesday criticised the petitioners for wasting the judicial time of the tribunal with only the previous witness in Edo State available.

The panel said any available witnesses should be called to testify, noting that it had earlier directed other petitioners to take fresh dates for their hearing.

“What you are just telling us is not good at all! Why then did we ask the other petitioners to take dates? We should have heard them today,” Justice Kpochi said.

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However, counsel for the PDP, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), pleaded that the witnesses might not be in the right frame of mind to mount the dock after their travel difficulties.

Earlier, he had pleaded with the tribunal that the proposed witnesses arrived in Abuja from Edo State, where the trial was previously being heard, but “suffered travel disruptions.”

“We undertake that on the next date, we will bring as many witnesses as may be convenient for the tribunal. We will also work assiduously to prime down our witnesses,” he said.

Earlier, the witness, Mr Oseyili Anenih, who is the Director of Research and Strategy of the PDP, testified that of the 4,519 polling units in the state, the PDP and its candidate are challenging results from about 765 polling units.

However, when Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), counsel for Governor Monday Okpebholo, asked him whether he had access to physical copies of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used for the election, he said no but his team had some screenshots of it, which they tendered in evidence.

The PDP and its governorship candidate in the September 21, 2024 governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, had filed the petition against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Okpebholo, challenging the outcome.

The tribunal adjourned to Thursday for further hearing.