From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Edo State Election Petition Tribunal has granted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the September 28 governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s request to recount ballot papers used in four local government areas.
The affected local government areas are Estako East, Estako West, Akoko-Edo and Egor.
Recounting of the ballot papers was sequel to an order of the tribunal which granted an application of the PDP and Ize-Iyamu which asked for recounting of the ballot papers. The ballot papers, contained in ‘Ghana must go,’ were brought to the tribunal by an Administrative Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Ahmed Salman, who was subpoenaed to produced them. The tribunal had, earlier, in a ruling, said the petitioners made it clear that they would order for the production of the ballot papers to be counted in open court.
Chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Ahmed Badamasi who read the ruling, said the second respondent (Governor Godwin Obaseki) did not oppose the recounting of the ballot papers.
The tribunal held that suggestions of tampering of the ballot papers required proof and that the position of the third respondent, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not tenable in law.
It further ruled that stopping the petitioners’ application would mean shutting them out.
After the ruling, lead counsel to the petitioners, Yusuf Alli, suggested that the ballot papers should be counted in another room in the presence of representatives of all parties since the petitioners would close their case on Friday.
The suggestion was rejected by counsel to the respondents who insisted that the counting must be done in the open court.
At the time of going to press, recounting of the ballot papers was still on.