The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in the petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
Naija News gathered that the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, announced on Tuesday that a date for the final judgment would be communicated to all parties involved.
At the resumed hearing, the tribunal adopted the written addresses submitted by counsels from both the petitioner and the respondents.
Counsel to the petitioner, Adewale Adebayo, urged the tribunal to uphold all arguments and grant the prayers of his client.
He argued that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to recognize the candidate nominated by AA for the election and did not acknowledge Adekunle Omoaje as the National Chairman of the party, despite a court ruling in his favor.
Omoaje, who filed the petition without the involvement of the party’s candidate, maintained that the tribunal should recognize him as the legitimate leader of AA and rule that his party’s exclusion from the ballot was unlawful.
Respondents Dismiss Petition As “Lacking Merit”
However, counsels to the respondents, including APC’s Anthony Umeri, INEC’s Dike Udenna, and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s legal representative, Linda Chuba-Ikpeazu, all urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition.
They argued that the petition was an abuse of court process and lacked merit.
According to them, election petitions are typically jointly filed by political parties and their candidates, but in this case, Omoaje filed a solo petition without the direct involvement of any candidate.
They insisted that AA’s exclusion was a non-issue, as the party had failed to properly nominate a candidate in line with INEC guidelines.
With final arguments submitted, the tribunal will now deliberate on the case before delivering its judgment on a later date.
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