Edo: Tribunal to deliver judgment in Omosede’s petition

The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal headed by Justice O. Ogundana will on Sunday deliver judgment in the petition filed by Barr. Omosede Igbinedion.

Barr. Igbinedion was the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for Ovia Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

She lost the election to Hon Dennis Idahosa of the All Progressives Congress.

In her petition, Omosede is asking the tribunal to declare her winner of the election on grounds that Idahosa was not qualified to contest the election.

Omosede argued Idahosa did not resign from the Federal Ministry of Environment before contesting the election.

She called 17 witnesses in the course of trial while Idahosa called 21 witnesses.

Idahosa in his defence when he was led in evidence by his Counsel, Enahoro Ahhomo, Hon Idahosa said he did not renounce his citizenship of Nigeria and insisted that he remains a citizen of Nigerian by birth.

Idahosa said he was a board member of the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGW), an establishment under the Federal Ministry of Environment, but he resigned on November 5th 2018, about 90 days to the elections.

According to him, “The conduct of the National Assembly election for Ovia Federal Constituency was free, fair and peaceful in all the wards and polling units.

“I am a proud Nigerian and I came to this earth as a Nigerian and I will leave this earth as a Nigerian. There was nowhere and time I told anybody that I renounced the Nationality of Nigeria”.

“The election into Ovia federal constituency of Edo state was free, fair and there was no record of violence; it was peaceful, adding that he voted in ward 2, unit 3 in Ovia South West local government area of Edo state. I was in my unit on the day of election,” he said.