By Olaitan Ibrahim
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Monday adjourned sitting till Wednesday, for the commencement of the full hearing of the petition filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), challenging the declaration of Monday Okpebholo as winner of the 21 September, 2024 election.
The development followed an application for adjournment filed by lead counsels to 1st and 2nd respondents (the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and Governor Monday Okpebholo), in the petition.
The petitioners, Dr. Ighodalo and the PDP (1st petitioner and 2nd petitioner respectively) are challenging the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the poll by INEC.
In the result declared by INEC, Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat PDP’s Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes.
Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had on 21 December, 2024, adjourned sitting till 13 January, 2025, for the hearing on the petition and other petitions before the court, following the conclusion of pre-hearing of all petitions.
At the resumption on Monday, the Assistant Secretary to the Tribunal, Dayo Dahunsi Esq. informed the Court of a pending application from the 1st Respondent and 2nd Respondents, seeking adjournment of the sitting to Wednesday, 15 January, 2025.
He stated that the application was to allow the lead counsels to the two applicants to appear before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 16 January, 2025, in a matter slated for definite hearing.
Dahunsi quoted the applicants to have said that their requests also applied to other petitions against their clients before the Tribunal.
Reacting to the application, Oladipo Oshinowo, who held the brief of the lead counsel to the petitioners, (Ken Mozia SAN), said:
“Though, we are ready and prepared to commence trails today, a copy of the letter seeking for adjournment was sent to our lead counsel by the registry late yesterday, wherein the 1st and 2nd respondents are seeking for an adjournment.
“We are constrained to concede to this request for adjournment on the strength of the undertaken that such request for adjournment shall not be made by the Respondents in future.”
Counsel to the 3rd Respondent (All Progressives Congress), Josephine Ogagaworia, did not object to the application.
Justice Kpochi thereafter adjourned sitting to Wednesday for actual hearing of the petition.