About 105 legal practitioners yesterday appeared for the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate, Godwin Obaseki, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the commencement of the pre-trial session of the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal.
The PDP and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, are challenging the conduct and declaration of Godwin Obaseki of APC as the winner of the last September 28 governorship election by INEC.
At the commencement of the pre-trial session yesterday, 61 legal practitioners represented PDP and its candidate, 37 appeared for APC and its candidate, while seven appeared for INEC.
Addressing the three-man panel of tribunal headed by Ahmed Badamasi, the lead counsel to PDP and its candidate, Adebayo Adelodun told the court of his client’s readiness for the pre-trial session, while Adeniyi Akintola and Ken Mozia counsels to APC and Governor Godwin Obaseki, respectively, objected on the grounds that there were pending applications that were supposed to be heard before the pre-hearing.
Ken Mozia averred that he filed two applications seeking the termination of the petition filed by the petitioner and the second one seeking that certain paragraphs of the answers to the reply of the petitioner be struck out.
In his submission, the PDP counsel, however, said the tribunal was already in the pre-hearing session and that counsels should have filed all applications before the session.
He opined that it was possible for the tribunal to take all applications while the pre-hearing session was ongoing, and told the court that he had also filed an application seeking to strike out certain paragraphs of the reply of the defendants.
On his part, the counsel to INEC, Okezia Ikpeazu, said INEC was not aware that yesterday was the date set aside for pre-hearing and that the commission did not receive any information to that effect.
The tribunal chairman, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, however fixed December 7, 2016, for hearing on the applications, ordering that parties file their applications on or before December 3, and reply on or before December 5, 2016.
Meanwhile, there was pandemonium at the premises of the tribunal before the commencement of proceedings when political thugs allegedly loyal to both parties engaged themselves in fight, which resulted in injuries of some persons.
