The Benin Division of the Court of Appeal has reserved
judgement in the appeal and cross appeal filed by PDP and its candidate,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu on one hand, and Governor Godwin Obaseki and APC on the
other.
Pastor Ize-Iyamu had filed 41 grounds of appeal against the
judgement of the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, which upheld the
declaration of Obaseki as winner of the September 28 governorship election in
the state.
On their part, Obaseki and APC had filed four grounds of
cross appeal.
The Appeal Court said the date for the judgement will be
communicated to parties involved in the suit.
Earlier, the appellant court struck out a motion filed by
the PDP and Pastor Ize-Iyamu, seeking to correct records of the tribunal.
Counsel to Pastor Ize-Iyamu and PDP, Yusuf Alli, asked the
Appeal Court to rely on what the second judge recorded as exactly what Pastor
Ize-Iyamu said at the tribunal, and not what the tribunal’s chairman recorded.
He described the response to the motion from counsels to the
APC, Obaseki and INEC as “busy body.”
“We are talking about simple recording of the proceedings.
Since they were served and did not respond, that is the end of the matter,” he
said.
Counsel to INEC, Onyechi Ikpeazu, who urged the court
to dismiss the application, described it as lacking in merit, saying it
was based on documentary hearsay.
Counsel to Obaseki, Wole Olanipekun, submitted that Pastor
Ize-Iyamu had not moved any application before the court.
Lead counsel for the APC, Lateef Fagbemi, aligned himself
with the submission of Olanipekun and Ikpeazu.
After listening to all the arguments, Justice M.B.
Dongban-Mensen struck out the application for lack of merit.
By Usman A. Bello
