Ize-Iyamu vs Obaseki: Appeal Court delivers judgment today
Jun 9, 2017 5:50 AM
BENIN—THE Appeal Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State, will today, deliver judgment on the appeal by the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, against the ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the election of Governor Godwin Obaseki of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
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Godwin Obaseki and Ize-Iyamu
The Justice Ahmed Badamasi-led Election Petition Tribunal had on April 14, 2017, upheld the election of Governor Obaseki of the APC, who was declared winner of the September 28, 2016 governorship election in Edo State by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
But not satisfied with the judgment, Ize-Iyamu had, through his counsel, led by Yusuf Ali, SAN, appealed the judgment, asking the appellate court to rely on and use the evidence of the first appellant as recorded by Justice Gilbert Ngele (member 1) of the lower tribunal instead of that of the Tribunal’s chairman, Justice Ahmed Badamasi.
He also sought an order deeming the record of his evidence by Justice Ngele, made on January 30, as the correct record of his evidence-in-chief at the lower court and therefore, raised five grounds of appeal, including that the Tribunal’s record compiled and transmitted to the appellate court contained an incorrect rendition of Ize-Iyamu’s evidence by Justice Badamasi; the appellant prayed for a leave of court to correct the said record of appeal and use the supplementary record of appeal they transmitted to the court.
Counsel to both parties argued their briefs on May 30, 2017 where Obaseki’s counsel led by Wole Olanipekun, SAN, urged the court to dismiss the appeal, saying that the grounds of the appeal were watery, adding that the crux of the petition was abandoned at the trial court by the appellants.
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