… Okpebholo’s Lawyers Move For Adjournment As Fear Grips APC
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin City , yesterday commenced hearing in the petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 and filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and PDP challenging INEC’s declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo as Winner of the September 21st 2024 Governorship Election in Edo State.
Represented by his Counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo SAN and 15 other Senior Advocates of Nigeria(SAN), Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his party, People’s Democratic Party(PDP) stormed the Tribunal with over 1004 pages of documentary Evidence as Exhibits in proof of their petition against Governor Monday Okpebholo and All Progressives Congress(APC)
The documentary Evidence includes INEC Certified True Copies(CTCs) of result sheets Forms EC8A-E, BVAS Accreditation reports and other electoral documents deployed for the conduct of the September 21st Governorship Election in Edo State.
In his opening statement, the Petitioner’s counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo(SAN) hinted that they propose to commence their case by tendering documents mentioned in their petition which are essentially CTCs of electoral documents. The bulk documentary evidence consists of over 1004 pages in evidence and he stated that in order for a seamless tendering of the documents, they have prepared a proper schedule, where the documents are serially set out and are not repeated.
Lead Counsel to first respondents(INEC), Kanu Agabi, objected to the method proposed by the Petitioner on the ground that the documents need to be filed at the Tribunal registry first to avoid a situation where unfiled documents could end up in the court’s record.
The petitioner’s counsel however submitted that the schedule is only a guide to the court and they’re not to be filed unless the court so orders.
Apparently fazed by the bulk documentary evidence tendered by Ighodalo and PDP, Counsel to 2nd respondent’s(Monday Okpebholo), Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) appealed for more time to enable them look at the bulky Documentary evidence brought by the Petitioners.
In Ighodalo’s defence, his counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN) established that the schedule, listing all the documentary evidence, was earlier served as advance copies on all the parties and they were duly acknowledged as properly served and received.
The case was adjourned to 17th January 2025 for continuation of hearing
Meanwhile, the turn of events and massive volume of documentary evidence brought in by Ighodalo and the PDP at the Tribunal reportedly sent jitters into the camp of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Edo State as the state Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, allegedly mobilised hundreds of armed thugs with government marked vehicles to shoot sporadically around the Court premises in an attempt to disrupt proceedings.
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