By Abiola Olawale
The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have clashed again at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in respect of a motion canvassing dismissal of some subsisting matters.
It was gathered that the conflict arose during the tribunal’s proceedings which began on schedule.
The crisis followed the hearing petitions challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
The New Diplomat reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC as the winner with 291,667 votes, while PDP’s Dr. Asue Ighodalo was declared the first runner-up with 247,274 votes.
However, dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP filed petitions against the results, alleging various irregularities and seeking to have the election results nullified.
During court proceedings on Wednesday, APC’s legal counsel Ferdinand Orbih, SAN, argued during a pre-hearing session that the PDP’s petition was incompetent, claiming it was not filed in accordance with legal provisions.
He asserted that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter, citing grounds for dismissal outlined in a motion dated 30 November and supported by a seven-paragraph affidavit.
In response, PDP counsel Ken Mozia, SAN, countered the APC’s arguments, urging the tribunal to disregard the dismissal motion. Mozia stated that the petitioners had filed a reply and counter-affidavit opposing the motion.
In his ruling, the tribunal’s chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, reserved a ruling on the motion until the final judgment day.
Justice Kpochi held: “I have heard the arguments from both counsels, including the APC’s call for a ruling on its motion to dismiss the petition. The ruling will be delivered on the final day.”
