Gov. Oshiomhole

Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Inspection of ballot papers used for the conduct of the September 28 governorship election in Edo State by the All Progressive Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), scheduled to commence on Thursday did not hold after all.

The three-man Election Petition Tribunal, headed by Justice A.T. Badamasi, had earlier granted a motion ex parte to both the APC and the PDP to inspect all materials.

Representatives of the APC however kicked at the commencement of the inspection, insisting that it has filed a suit at the Tribunal stopping the inspection because the Tribunal was wrongly informed before it granted the earlier prayers of the PDP.

It said the motion ex parte granted was at variance with what was pleaded in paragraph 753 of the petition filed by the PDP and it’s candidate in the governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, which stated that the ballot papers will be counted in open court.

Paragraph 753 of the petition reads in parts, “Your petitioners will before or at the trial of this petition apply and pray this Honourable Tribunal for an order or direction that the ballot papers used and votes cast in each or some of the polling units for the governorship election be produced in court by the 1st Respondent and recounted in open court and the figures obtained admitted in evidence.”

A Counsel to the APC, who asked not to be named, said they walked out of INEC secretariat because the PDP insisted on going ahead with the inspection and scanning of ballot papers.

State Chairman of the APC, Barrister Anselm Ojezua, also stated that the party did not stop inspection of ballot papers but that scanning of the ballot papers was not part of what was granted the PDP by the Tribunal, adding that the materials would not be inspected at INEC office but at the open court.

On his part, Counsel to the PDP, Professor Edoba Omoregie, told jornalists that the Tribunal was yet to hear the suit filed by the APC and that it cannot alter the process both parties earlier agreed upon.

Following several hours of heated argument, officials of INEC finally stopped the planned inspection of election materials and refused PDP access to them on grounds that the APC suit has been served on them.
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