The disaster rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State over the past February, governorship main appears unabated, as Hon Dennis Idahosa, one of many aspirants, has petitioned the chairman of the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee, INEC, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, urging him to not settle for some other identify because the candidate of the celebration aside from himself.
reporter stories that the lawmaker, representing Ovia Federal Constituency within the Nationwide Meeting within the petition dated
March 4, 2024, was written by Wole Olanipekun,SAN, and marked WOC/ABJ/VOL.01/074/2024.
Within the petition addressed to Professor Mahmud Yakubu, INEC Nationwide Chairman, Idahosa stated a authorized motion with Go well with No.FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 between himself vs Senator Monday Okpebholo, the APC and the INEC has already been instituted with Go well with No.FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024 the place he’s claiming the candidacy of the celebration and urged INEC to take cognizance of the go well with.
Within the go well with, Idahosa stated that he received the February 17, 2024, governorship main that was monitored by the INEC.
He opined that within the main, he was declared winner and argued that there was no foundation for the supplementary election ordered by the management of the celebration as no motive was given for the choice.
He additionally contended that the February 22, rerun main was not a standalone election however a continuation of the February 17 train and that the outcomes of the February 17 train can’t be jettisoned.
In line with him, the information of INEC will present that, below your management, the Fee monitored the Edo State APC main election for the nomination of the governorship candidate of the APC pursuant to the prior notification that the first election will particularly maintain on February 17, 2024.
“The first election was certainly held, and our consumer garnered 40,453 votes (a replica of the outcome licensed by INEC is connected herein as Annexure 1).
“INEC’s report of monitoring the election confirms that. And, on the finish of the method, our consumer was returned because the duly elected candidate of the APC (a replica of the INEC report as licensed by the Fee is connected as Annexure 2).
“The APC main election committee that carried out the election additionally confirmed that our consumer received the election, as evidenced by a report signed by all members of the committee (and not using a single occasion of dissent).
“Our consumer is conscious that the APC subsequently confirmed to INEC that the first election was held as scheduled on February 17, 2024. Nevertheless, with out giving any motive, indicated that the election was inconclusive and might be accomplished on February 22, 2024, and invited INEC to observe the completion train.
“On the finish and in respect of the completion train, Senator Monday Okpebholo was stated to have scored 12, whereas our consumer was allotted 6,541 votes. Senator Monday Okpebholo scored 100 votes on the main election of February 17, 2024 (a replica of the outcome sheet from the completion of the first election on February 22, 2024, licensed by INEC is connected as Annexure 3).
“Our consumer disagrees that the first election of February 17, 2024 was inconclusive or that there was any foundation to schedule what was described as a completion of the method. Go well with No. FHC/ABJ/CS/ 274/2024 has been instituted to ventilate that problem,” he stated.
He averred that in the intervening time, INEC is in custody of two outcomes for the APC main election for the 2024 Governorship election in Edo State, that are these of February 17, 2024, and February 23, 2024, respectively.
He argued that the summation of the votes in each outcomes demonstrates clearly that he received the first election, even when his votes from the February 17, 2024 outcomes are the one ones reckoned with.
Idahosa additionally argued that the illustration by APC to INEC that the method of February 22, 2024, was a completion acknowledges that it isn’t a standalone and certainly has its basis within the election of February 17, 2024.
He, nevertheless, urged the fee to understand that there are pending reliefs for injunction in Go well with No.FHC/ABJ/CS/274/2024, and will due to this fact not take any step that can both pre-empt the courtroom or prejudice the continuing judicial proceedings.
