From Tony Osauzo, Benin
The National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin, yesterday, affirmed Hon. Omoruyi Murphy Osaro of the Labour Party (LP) as the winner of the February 25, Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency election in Edo.
The Tribunal dismissed the two separate petitions filed by Candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okhuarobo Henry Osuede and Hon. Crosby Osadolor Eribo of the APC, challenging the qualification of Osaro and the outcome of the National Assembly election.
The three-member panel of the tribunal, led by Justice O. A. Chijioke, in its unanimous judgment, dismissed the petitions marked EPT/ED/HR/06/ 2023 and EPT/ED/HR/08/2023 for lack of merits and held that the two petitioners could not prove a case of non-compliance with the electoral Act, corrupt practices and non-qualification allegations against the Labour Party candidate.
In two judgments read by Justice O.A. Chijioke, the Tribunal said “We hold that the petitioners failed to prove any of the grounds raised in the petitions and the petitions are hereby dismissed for lack of merits”.
The Petitioners, Osamuede and Eribo through their separate petitions had approached the tribunal to challenge the election of Osaro on the grounds that he (Osaro) was not qualified to contest the election, contending that the non compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 as amended in the conduct of the election, Osaro’s dual nationality as well as the Labour Party not having a candidate in the said election.
But the Tribunal disagreed and resolved all the grounds against Okhuarobo and Eribo, and held that the petitioners merely dumped documents on the tribunal without any probative value.
In his petition, Eribo had accused the labour party candidate of being a citizen of the United States of America and thereby negate the provision of section 77 of the electoral Act, 2022 as amended as well as Section 66 of the constitution of Nigeria.
Besides, he argued that Osaro was not validly nominated by the Labour Party for the election, insisting that by inference, LP had no candidate in the election.