By Osahon Osahon
The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, has berated the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the September 19 governorship election in Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, for attempting to fight his case in the election petition through another petitioner.
The Action Peoples Party (APP), had in the case marked B/EPT/GOV/02/2021, Vs Godwin N. Obaseki & 2Ors., challenged the declaration of Godwin Obaseki of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), as winner of the September 19 governorship election, in the State election petition tribunal.
The party joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as respondents in the petition.
Following the dismissal of the petition by the election petition tribunal, the APP approached the Appelate Court.
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Delivering the judgement, the Presiding Justice, Hon. Justice M.A. Owoade, dismissed the main appeal, the preliminary objection and the cross appeal.
In a unanimous judgment, the Appelate Court upheld the judgment of the Tribunal and dismissed the Appeal with costs assessed at N600,000 each, on two different counts, as the governor won all eight issues for determination in the appeal.
Owoade noted that the inclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as respondents in the petition, was a ploy by Ize-Iyamu to fight his case through another petitioner, describing it as a case of ‘squeezing the rock for water’.
Similarly, the Appeal Court also upheld the ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against the Action Democratic Party (ADP), reaffirming the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki at the 2020 governorship election.
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The Judgement comes barely two months after the Elections Petitions Tribunal struck out the petition by the ADP and its governorship candidate, Iboi Lucky, challenging the outcome of the September 19, 2020 governorship election, which returned Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor of Edo State.
Delivering judgement in the case marked CA/B/EPT/GOV/01 & 1A/2021 Action Democratic Party & Anor v. INEC & 2Ors, the Appeal Court held that Obaseki did not forge his certificates with which he contested the 2020 governorship election, dismissing the appeal filed by the ADP and its candidate.
