The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, in the Edo State September 21, 2024 governorship election, Mr. Asue Ighodalo currently needs oxygen to resuscitate himself as the Court begins the adoption of the address.
Asue, who is currently gasping for breath, has been placed on close watch by friends and associates to ensure that he is on a stable condition.
Those in the know said he has started seeing the end from the beginning.
Political pundits said that they are watching with their eyes open to see how far he can go.
They believe that the will of the people can’t be traded and that the court is poised to deliver and reaffirm the will of the good people of Edo State.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Counsel, Emmanuel Ukala SAN, said the case of the petitioners is based entirely on non-compliance.
He said the Supreme Court has over the years lay down the provision of the law that the petitioners should prove the issue of over voting from unit to unit, ward to ward and local government to local government according to the Supreme Court case of UCHA Vs ELECHI where it held that where a petitioner complained of over voting, he should prove it polling unit by polling units, wards and even local government.
Ukala said that even if the petition is based on section 73 of non prior recording, the petitioners owe it a duty to prove it.
Ukala maintained that the case of BABA VS INEC the Supreme Court said the appellant has enormous duty to prove polling unit to polling, ward to ward and that the documents they petitioners are relying, they were only dumped there in the court and the documents remain useless.
He said the evidence of PW1-PW14 of the petitioners, none of their evidence is useful as it a hear say evidence or evidence laced with hearsay.
He further urged the Tribunal to dismiss the petition because no concrete evidence was brought forth.
He said forms EC25D was not mentioned in any of the petitioners’ witness statements on oath.
He said no demonstration of the BVAS and voters registered by the petitioners, and the case of the petitioners was not proven.
With this scenario currently playing out, the governorship candidate of the PDP in the past election is not finding it funny at all.
