Edo Guber: APC, PDP, Ize-Iyamu appeal tribunal judgement

Edo Guber: APC, PDP, Ize-Iyamu appeal tribunal judgement

Monday, May 8, 2017 10:22 am


Justice

Jethro Ibileke/Benin
Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and its governorship candidate in the September 28, 2016 Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize – Iyamu, have filed a 41-ground notice of appeal at the Benin Division of the Court of Appeal, against the judgement of the lower Tribunal of April 14, 2017, which upheld the declaration of Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the election.

Named as 1st, 2nd and 3rd Respondents respectively in the appeal are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP and Ize-Iyamu are contending that the judgement was against the weight of evidence and urged the appellate court to allow the appeal.

Other reliefs sought by the appellants included an order setting aside the decision of the lower tribunal and an order nullifying the return of the 2nd Respondent and declaring the 1st Appellant validly elected or returned having scored the highest number of lawful votes cast at the governorship election.

Besides, it is their contention that the learned Judges of the lower tribunal misdirected themselves and truncated their right to fair hearing by the unequal treatment given to the cases of the parties by first finding fault, discrediting, disbelieving and dismissing the petition of the appellants before considering at all and reviewing the testimonies of the witnesses of the Respondents, pointing out that this occasioned a miscarriage of justice against them.

The appellants are further contending among other issues that the lower tribunal erred in law and truncated their right to fair hearing wherein in consideration of their case, it failed totally to look at, consider, countenance and make any pronouncement on issue concerning, “whether the 2nd Respondent was duly elected by the majority of lawful votes cast at the Edo State Governorship election held on 28, September 2016 and if not, whether the 1st Petitioner is not entitled to be returned as the Governor of Edo State”.
Meanwhile, the APC and Governor Godwin Obaseki have also filed a 4-ground notice of Cross Appeal against part of the judgment of the Justice Ahmed Badamasi three-man‎ tribunal.

In their notice of Cross Appeal, the APC and Governor Obaseki are challenging the part of the decision wherein the trial tribunal refused to grant the 3rd Respondent/Cross Appellant’s applications dated 30th November, 2016 and 1st December 2016 respectively and consequently the lower tribunal’s refusal to strike out the offensive paragraphs and or the petition based on the two applications.

They are also contending that the lower tribunal erred in law when it held on page 21 of the judgement as follows: ,” After a careful scrutiny of the processes in this application, we are of the view that: the whole essence of the application is to defeat the intendment of the petition through technical process, it is premature at this stage to consider striking out paragraph 17 – 753 and we so hold”.

The Cross Appellants further contended that the lower tribunal erred in law and breached their constitutional right to fair hearing when it failed to adequately consider all the issues raised and submitted before it in Cross Appellants’ application dated and filed on 30th November 2016 and thereby came to a wrong decision which has occasioned a grave miscarriage of justice.

They are therefore seeking among other reliefs order of the appellate court to allow the cross appeal, an order granting their motion on notice dated and filed on 30th November 2016 by striking out paragraph 16(1) of the petition touching on corrupt practices and all other paragraphs of the petition; in which allegations of corrupt practices are pleaded including paragraphs 17 – 753.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the appeals.

 


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