Posted by From TONY OSAUZO, Benin on
After seven months of legal fireworks over the April 14, 2007 governorship election in Edo State between Action Congress (AC) candidate, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard bearer, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, the State Election Petition Tribunal yesterday fixed judgement in the case for March 20, 2008.
After seven months of legal fireworks over the April 14, 2007 governorship election in Edo State between Action Congress (AC) candidate, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) standard bearer, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, the State Election Petition Tribunal yesterday fixed judgement in the case for March 20, 2008.
The five-man tribunal panel fixed the date after taking written submissions and oral addresses from the parties in the case.
Addressing the Tribunal, lead Counsel for the petitioners, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN) urged the Tribunal to return Oshiomhole as the candidate with the majority lawful votes cast in the election.
He submitted that Comrade Oshiomhole and the AC scored 165,763 while Prof. Osunbor and the PDP scored 123,989 out of a total lawful votes of 329,340 cast at the election, adding that the scores as contained in the chart submitted by the petitioners was relevant and urged the Tribunal to adopt it.
Earlier in his submission, Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Roland Otaru (SAN) contended that the petitioners abandoned the issues for determination as distilled by the tribunal and went on a voyage of discovery, and therefore urged the tribunal to discountenance those issues formulated by the petitioners and dismiss the petition in its entirety.
He argued that the score chart submitted by the petitioners was irrelevant as it was not part of the proceedings and was not tendered.
In his own submission, Counsel to Prof. Osunbor and the PDP, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN) leading Mr. Ighodalo Imadegbelo (SAN) and others, said the pleadings of the petitioners were at variance with the witnesses depositions, and that the evidence before the Tribunal cannot be married together with the pleadings.
Arguing in similar vein with Mr. Otaru, Dr. Iziyon stated that the petitioners have abandoned the issues for determination as enunciated by the tribunal in its final report and, therefore, they have unwittingly abandoned their petition.