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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin will, today, rule on an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the 2016 Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu against the Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led election petition tribunal judgment which validated election of Governor Godwin Obaseki of All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court’s judgment, which informed counsel to all the parties of its decision yesterday, is expected to touch among other grounds of appeal, for an order setting aside the decision of the tribunal and another order nullifying the return of the second respondent, Obaseki, while declaring Ize-Iyamu as the winner, having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast in the September 28, 2016 governorship election.
On April 14, 2017, the election petition tribunal reaffirmed Obaseki’s victory as the true winner of the September 28, 2016 governorship election.
The PDP and Ize-Iyamu alleged that the tribunal judges erred and truncated their (appellants) right to fair hearings by the unequal treatment given to the cases of the parties, “by first finding fault, discrediting, disbelieving and dismissing their petition before considering and reviewing the testimonies of the witnesses of the respondents and, thus, occasioning a miscarriage of justice.”
