Oshiomhole, Ihonvbere win at election tribunal

The National/State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin has upheld the victory of Sen. Adams Oshiomhole in the Feb. 25 Edo North Senatorial District election.

The tribunal also upheld the election of Rep Ihonvbere Julius of the APC, representing Owan Federal Constituency.

The three-man tribunal, led by Justice O.A. Chuioke, dismissed the petition filed by a former Senator, Francis Alimikhena of the PDP for lack of merit.

Alimikhena, through his counsel, Mr Rasak Isenalume, had petitioned against the former governor of the state, Sen Oshiomhole, alongside INEC and APC, in the suit NO: EPT/ED/SEN/02/2023.

The 1st petitioner Alimikhena, in his petition, asked the tribunal to declare null and void the election of Oshiomhole over non compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, as required by law and declare him winner of the election.

He also urged the tribunal to nullify the election of the former APC National Chairman on alleged non transmission of election results through the use of BIVAS machine to IREV Portal

Alimikhena, on the alternative, prayed the tribunal to order for a rerun of the election owing to substantial non-compliance with the law.

But in their separate responses, counsels to the respondents urged the tribunal to dismiss the case of the petitioners for lack of merit.

Delivering the unanimous judgement on behalf of the tribunal, its Chairman, Justice Alero Akeredolu, held that the petitioners failed woefully to prove their case, adding that they could not rely on weakness or strength of the respondents to prove their cases against Oshiomhole.

Justice Akeredolu also held that the petitioners failed to tender before the tribunal any relevant document to prove a case of non-compliance as contained in their petitions.

The Tribunal, therefore, dismissed the petition against Oshiomhole in its entirety

The tribunal also dismissed the petition filed by Jimoh Iruokhaime Ijiegbai Ojeiu and PDP, against the INEC declaration of Ihonvbere as winner of the Owan Federal Constituency.

The tribunal also agreed with the argument of the lead counsel to Ihonvbere, Mr Ehiogie West-Idahosa (SAN), that Ojeiu’s petition failed in its entirety.

Ojeiu and the PDP are 1st and 2nd petitioners in the petition marked EPT/ED/HR/03/2023.