Justice

The Edo State Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Benin, on Monday struck out the petition made to it by candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), in the March 9 State House of Assembly election for Oredo East Constituency, Monday Okoro.

The PDP candidate had relied on the instrumentality of wrongful nomination of candidate for the election, to challenge the victory of the APC candidate, Uyi Osasere Ekhosuehi.

It would be recalled that Ekhosuehi had contested and won the ticket of the APC for the said election, but was later substituted by the party with Mr. Osaro Obaze.

But, Ekhosuehi later challenged his substitution with Obaze at the Benin Division of the Federal High Court, and won.

Not satisfied, Obaze approached the Court of Appeal, sitting in Benin, but lost, and is awaiting the final appeal at the Supreme Court.

Capitalising on the internal crisis of the Edo APC, the PDP and its candidate asked the Tribunal to award the highest number of lawful votes cast to them and declare Okoro as winner of the election.

But the attempt met with a brick wall, when Justice L. Ogundana who read the judgement of the Tribunal, said Okoro “lacked the locus standi to meddle in the internal affairs of another party.”

He added that only an aspirant can complain, and that the petitioner whom he described as “busy body” in the APC’s internal crisis, was never a party​ to the lawsuit which awarded victory to Ekhosuehi.

He therefore dismissed the petition for lacking in merit.

In other judgements, the Tribunal also dismissed petitions of two candidates of the PDP.

Justice (Mrs.) S. Kibo, had earlier thrown out Barr. Afebu Aigbonoga’s petition challenging the declaration of Seid Oshiomhole of the APC as winner of the Etsako West Constituency election.

Similarly, Justice Y. Bogoro, dismissed PDP’s Magnus Igbas’ petition challenging APC’s Emmanuel Okoduwa’s victory in the Esan North-East ll Constituency election.