The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Benin, on Thursday said it would rule on a Motion on Notice seeking to dismiss the petitions filed by Mr Akhimie Kingston Afeare and Bishop Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena, against the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo, as winner of September 21 election in Edo.

The motions for dismissal were filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Akhimie and Akhalamhe, candidates of Action Democratic Party (ADP) and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the election in their petitions dated and filed marked EPT/ED/GOV/06/2024 and EPT/ED/GOV/07/2024, are challenging the conduct of the election.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi led 3-man Tribunal reserved rulings to the judgment stage of the main petitions after lawyers to the parties in the suit had adopted their written briefs supported by various paragraphs of affidavits

Lead counsel to the trio applicants, Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN), Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Emmanuel Ukala, SAN urged the Tribunal to grant their applications and the reliefs sought therein in the applications.

But counsel to the petitioners’, Wisdom Isaac, Esq, prayed the court to dismiss the applications and confined the same to the dustbin of history, claiming the applications lack merit.

While reserving the ruling to a later date, Justice Kpochi adjourned the sitting to Monday, January 20, 2025, for the issuance of the Pre-hearing Report to parties in the suit.

Similarly, the tribunal, also reserved rulings in the applications filed by INEC, Okpebholo and APC, challenging the competency of the petitions filed by candidates of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Anerua Abdulai Aliu and Allied Peoples Movement (APM) against the election to judgement stage of the petitions.

In another development, the court also adjourned the hearing in the petition filed by the candidate of the Accord Party (AP), Dr Bright Enabulele, against INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as the winner of the September 21, 2024 poll at the instance of the petitioners.

When the case was called on Thursday, counsel to the petitioners, Joel Tagher, told the court that one of the last two witnesses of his clients is ill, hence he could not make it to court.

He therefore, prayed the court for adjournment.

Granting the prayer of the petitioners which was not objected to by the respondents, Justice Wilfred Kpochi adjourned the case to Tuesday, January 21, for continuation of hearing. (Vanguard)