The National and State Assembly Election Petitions Tribunal in Benin City has dismissed two petitions challenging the election victory of Dennis Idahosa in the Ovia Federal Constituency on February 25.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The tribunal ruled that the petitions filed by Epele Asemota of the Labour Party (LP) and Barr Omosede Igbinedion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked merit and were incompetent.

Asemota and Igbinedion alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) did not adhere to the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022, during the election….CONTINUE READING

They also claimed that the victory of the APC candidate, Dennis Idahosa, was tainted by irregularities such as overvoting and multiple thumbprints. Additionally, they asserted that the BVAS machine was not used during the election.

Justice Yusuf Mohammed, leading the three-man tribunal panel, dismissed the petitions, emphasizing that the petitioners failed to provide evidence to support their claims.

The panel reiterated that the burden of proof rested on the petitioners to establish allegations of overvoting, corrupt practices, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, as stated in their petitions.

The tribunal declared the declaration of Dennis Idahosa as the valid winner and dismissed the petitions.

In response to the verdict, counsel to Omosede, Mr. Santos Owootori, expressed dissatisfaction and stated their intention to seek redress through the court of appeal.

On the other hand, counsel to Idahosa, Mr. Famous Osawaru, praised the judgment, emphasizing that it was grounded in factual evidence rather than sentiment. Osawaru asserted that the mandate of the Ovia people could not be compromised and hailed the victory as a symbol of liberation.