The absence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) witnesses on Wednesday stalled hearing in the petition challenging the Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, election at the state’s governorship election tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The PDP and its governorship candidate in the September 21, 2024 election in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo, are challenging Okpebholo’s victory in the poll over alleged widespread irregularities.
The petitioners had listed INEC as the 1st respondent in the suit.
The commission was billed to open its defence on Wednesday after the petitioners closed their case on Monday.
At the resumed hearing, the INEC counsel, Mr. Abdullahi Aliyu, told the tribunal that the five witnesses listed were still on their way to Abuja from Benin City.
Aliyu, however, tendered three documents before the Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal to show that the commission was ready to open its case.
The documents tendered by INEC were the certified true copies of the collation of results at the state level (or Form EC8D), the declaration of results, and the regulations and guidelines for the conduct of elections, 2022.
The commission assured the tribunal that it would need only one day to conclude its case.
Justice Kpochi faulted INEC’s approach to the case, saying that the whole day had been wasted.
The INEC’s counsel urged the tribunal to grant the adjournment, saying it had been given a 10-day timeline for its defence.
Ighodalo’s counsel, Mr. Adetunji Oyeyipo, did not object to INEC’s tendering of the document.
He said they were the same document the PDP had already tendered to prove its case that the outcome of the election was flawed.
The tribunal adjourned till Thursday for the commission to call its witnesses.