Edo: Tribunal declares APC winners of 3 state Assembly seats

The Edo State Election Petition Tribunal, on Saturday, upheld the election of Marcu Onobun, Kingsley Ugabi and Abdulganiyu Audu, all of the All Progressives Congresives, APC, as the winners of Esan West, Etsako East and Etsako West I constituencies respectively at the state House of Assembly.

Inegbedion Clifford, Abu Abudulganiyu and Dada Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had filed petitions at the tribunal, challenging the declaration of Onobun, Ugabi and Audu as winners of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The petitioners urged the tribunal to declare the election of the APC candidates invalid by reason of invalid votes, over voting, corrupt practices, non compliance with the electoral Act, 2010 as amended and not scoring majority of lawful votes cast at the elections.

The petitioners urged the tribunal to declare them winners of the elections and ordered the INEC to issue certificate of return to them.

In the separate judgement delivered by Justice L O. Ogundana, S. M. Kibo and Y S. Bogoro, they said the onus was on the petitioners to prove their case beyond reasonable doubt which they failed to do.

The tribunal held that the evidence presented by the petitioners did not meet the section 34(1) of the evidence and judges are adjudicators and not abdicators.

It held that the evidence adduced by the petitioners have no probate value and that it was not the duty of the tribunal to help the petitioners’ to prove their cases.

The tribunal therefore, dismissed the petitions for lack of merit.