Edo Election Tribunal Dismisses Okhuarobo’s Petition Against LP Fed. Lawmaker

By Simeon OSAJIE

Edo Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City, today Thursday 2, 2023  dismissed the petition filed by Hon. Okhuarobo Henry Osamuede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration of Omoruyi Murphy Osaro of the Labour Party as winner of the February 25, 2023 Egor/Ikpoba Federal Constituency election in Edo.

Delivering the unanimous judgement in Suit NO: EPT/ED/HR/06/ 2023, Justice O. A. Chijioke, who read the judgement, held that the Petitioners failed to prove their case, and thereby dismissed the petition for lack of merit.

The Petitioners, Okhuarobo Henry Osamuede and his Party PDP had approached the tribunal to challenge the election of the First Respondent, Omoruyi Murphy Osaro on the grounds that he (Osaro) was not qualified to contest the election.

The petitioners also claimed the noncompliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 as amended in the conduct of the election as well as the Labour Party not having a candidate in the said election.

However, the Justice Chijioke led election panel II, resolved all the grounds against Okhuarobo, and averred that the petitioner merely dumped the documents on the tribunal without any probative value.

As at the time of filing this report, Justice Chijioke is reading the judgement in the petition filed by the All Progressives Congress candidate Hon. Crosby Osadolor Eribo in the same Egor/Ikpoba Federal Constituency election against Omoruyi Murphy Osaro the Labour Party, who was declared by INEC as winner of the election.