Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo state

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

The All Progressives Congress (APC), in Edo State, has asked the Supreme Court to set aside the judgement of the Court of Appeal, sitting in Benin, on its cross appeal over the recounting of ballot papers by the state election petition tribunal.

The party filed the appeal despite that the tribunal had ruled in its favour over the disputed September 28, 2016, Edo state governorship polls.

Listed as respondents in the suit filed on 20 April, 2017, few days after the tribunal judgment, are the People’s Democratic Party PDP, its candidate in the election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, INEC and candidate of the APC, Mr Godwin Obaseki.

The appellate court had dismissed the cross appeal by the APC as third respondent in the petition before the tribunal, where, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and his party, PDP challenged INEC declaration of Obaseki of the APC, winner of the election.

The APC was challenging the tribunal’s order to the petitioners for the recounting of the ballot papers used for the election in four of the 18 local councils in the state namely Egor, Etsako East, Etsako West and Akoko-Edo.

The governorship election petitions tribunal had ordered the stoppage of the recounting exercise following the expiration of the 14 days allotted the petitioners, to prove their case.

The petitioners went to the Appellate court challenging the discontinuation of recounting the ballot papers used in the election in the mentioned four local government areas of the state, by the tribunal.

But in its verdict, the appellate court held that the decision of the elections tribunal was right as it was anchored on the provision of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) which prescribes the time allotted to each of the parties to prove their case.

The Supreme court has not fixed a date to hear the suit.