By Olaitan Ibrahim
No fewer than 290 witnesses are expected testify for and against the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, in which Senator Monday Okpebholo emerged winner.
However, his victory is being challenged by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asue Ighdalo, and some other political parties.
This revelation of the number of expected witnesses was made known at the sitting of 2024 Edo Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the sitting has been adjourned to January 13, 2025, to commence hearing proper into the petitions, as Saturday’s sitting concluded the pre-hearing formalities.
Ighodalo, the PDP and other parties are challenging the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, Okpebholo, polled 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Ighodalo, who recorded 247,274 votes.
How the 290 witnesses will be interrogated
Reading the adopted pre-hearing report, chairman of the three-man panel, Justice Wilfred Kpochi said the parties agreed to call a total of 290 witnesses.
He said the report outlined the timeframe for the examination of witnesses, with 40 minutes allocated for examination-in-chief for each star witness, 30 minutes for cross-examination by the petitioners, and 20 minutes for cross-examination by each respondent.
Other agreements reached by the parties, according to him, include the allocation of 10 minutes for re-examination of each star witness and 25 minutes for examination-in-chief for other witnesses.
The petitioners are expected to call their witnesses within 21 days or less, while respondents will have 10 days each to call their witnesses.
According to the report, the tribunal will sit daily from 10 a.m., except on Sundays and other public holidays gazetted by law.
Justice Kpochi said there shall be no consolidation of the petition with any other as there was no application in respect thereof and no amendment of such shall be entertained and that the parties agreed to call only witnesses whose statements on oath had been frontloaded and may call subpoenaed witnesses where necessary.
According to him, “There shall be an interpreter for some witnesses from English to any native language like Benin, Esan, Auchi dialects and vice versa.
He adjourned the hearing to January 13, 2025, following the adoption of the pre-hearing report.