NEWS UPDATE ~
EDO GUBER PETITION TRIBUNAL ADJOURNS FOR HEARING OF YDP GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE PETITION.
THE Edo State Governorship election petition Tribunal chaired by Justice A.T.Babamasu, yesterday adjourned till December 2, 2016, ruling on the application filed by the governorship candidate of the Young Democratic Party (YDP), Nurudeen Inwanfero, seeking to withdraw one of its petition against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The Young Democratic Party had gone to the tribunal calling for the cancellation of the September 28th governorship election in Edo state, which the INEC declared Obaseki of the APC winner, on the ground that the party’s logo was not included in the ballot papers used for the election.
But countering their petition, the INEC, APC and interim Governor Obaseki had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the petition filed by the YDP candidate. The legal fire works commenced after the Counsel to the YDP candidate, Ugo Nwofor informed the court that he had earlier filed an application seeking the discontinuance of petition one due to what he described as typographical error.
He informed the court that he would however go on with petition three which is before the court. But Counsels to the APC, Lateef Fagbemi and Obaseki, Ken Mozia, argued that they are legal procedures before petitions are withdrawn from the court or discontinued insisting that the procedures for withdrawal must be followed to the letter before it could be acceptable by the parties.
But Counsel to the YDP Nwofor, fired back, insisting that the 1st and 3rd petition he filed were the same and that he has decided to withdraw the first petition based on typographical error and that he will not be coerced by the Respondents to continue a petition which he has decided to withdraw.
However, Justice Badamasi adjourned till December 2 for hearing of the YDP 3rd petition just as the application for the withdrawal of the 1st petition will equally be heard that same day.
