BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
Benin City, Edo, Nigeria – The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Benin, has affirmed the victory of Hon. Murphy Osaro Omoruyi of the Labour Party (LP) at the February 25, Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency election in Edo.
The Court dismissed the two separate petitions filed by Candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Okhuarobo Henry Osuede of the PDP and Hon. Crosby Osadolor Eribo of the APC, challenging the qualification of Osaro and the outcome of the National Assembly poll.
In a unanimous ruling by the three-member panel of the tribunal, led by Justice O. A. Chijioke, the court dismissed the petitions marked EPT/ED/HR/06/ 2023 and EPT/ED/HR/08/2023 for lack of merits.
The tribunal held that the two petitioners could not prove a case of non-compliance with the electoral act, corrupt practices and non-qualification allegations against the Labour Party candidate in the election.
Delivering the tribunal verdict, Justice O.A. Chijioke held that the Petitioners failed to prove their case, and thereby dismissed the petition for lack of merit.
“We hold that the petitioners failed to prove any of the grounds raised in the petitions and the petitions are hereby dismissed for lack of merits”, the tribunal ruled.
The Petitioners, Osamuede and Eribo through their separate petitions had approached the tribunal to challenge the election of Osaro on the grounds that he (Osaro) was not qualified to contest the election.
The petitioners also claimed the non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 as amended in the conduct of the election, Osaro’s dua nationality as well as the Labour Party not having a candidate in the said election.
However, the Justice Chijioke led election panel II resolved all the grounds against Okhuarobo and Eribo, and averred that the petitioners merely dumped documents on the tribunal without any probative value.
Eribo particularly accused the Labour Party candidate of being a citizen of the United States of America and thereby negate the proviso section 77 of the electoral Act, 2022 as amended as well as Section 66 of the constitution of Nigeria.
He also contended that Osaro was not validly nominated by the Labour Party for the election, which Eribo consequently maintained that by inference, LP had no candidate in the election.
