The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the September 28 Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, and his party on Monday commenced the tendering of documentary evidence in support of their petition at the ‎state election petitions tribunal.

Ize-Iyamu and ‎the PDP are challenging the declaration of candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Godwin Obaseki, as winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Ahmed Badamasi, had on January 11 adjourned sitting to allow the parties sort out non-contentious documents to be tendered as evidence.

At the resumption of sitting on Monday, the lead counsel to the petitioners, Yusuf Ali, told the tribunal that a total of 2,531 Form EC8As (result sheets) for the 18 local government areas had been verified by the parties.
Ali, however, said that only the voter registers for two local government areas ‎had so far been verified due to their voluminous nature.

He, therefore, urged the tribunal grant the parties an additional two days to enable them complete the remaining 16 and tender them on Thursday.

While aligning themselves with the request of the petitioners, the lead counsel to Obaseki and the APC, Adetunji Oyeyipo, and Adeniyi Akintola, respectively, urged them to complete the submission of documents on Thursday and commence the calling of their witnesses on Friday.

The tribunal, consequently, granted the request and adjourned sitting to January 19.

Punchng