The Court of Appeal, Benin division has upheld the judgement of the Edo state governorship election petition tribunal which affirmed the victory of Godwin Obaseki at the 2020 governorship poll in the state.
In a unanimous judgement delivered by a five-man panel through zoom, the judges resolved in support of the governor against the applicants.
The applicants include Action Democratic Party (ADP), Action Peoples Party (APP) and Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
READ ALSO: Updated: Tribunal Awards N200,000 To Obaseki As He Floors Five Political Parties
The parties who were not satisfied with the judgement delivered by the Edo State governorship electoral petition tribunal filed their respective appeal before the Court of Appeal.
Justice M.A. Owoade, while reading the judgement for the petition filed by the Action Democratic Party (ADP), said that the tribunal was not in error when it ruled that Obaseki was educated up to school certificate level.
The judge said “the appeal is devoid of merits and is accordingly dismissed. Judgement by the tribunal is hereby affirmed”.
READ ALSO: Tribunal Dismisses Petition Against Obaseki, Three Others Pending
Reacting to the judgement, Edo State deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, said the ruling has once more brought to the fore that the “judiciary are not just independent but we have courageous judges that will deliver justice just as they have done today.”
He said the Court of Appeal ruling has also reestablished the fact that the court really is there for all and for justice.
“The court is the last hope of the common man, and it is actually as they were established today. From the tribunal to the Court of Appeal, it is the same judgment. You cannot build something on nothing, they have consistently repeated it,” he added.
Earlier, the ADP had filed an appeal to nullify the declaration of Obaseki as winner of the election based on controversial degree result alongside nomination and express of interest forms submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the governor for the purpose of the election.
READ ALSO: Edo Election Tribunal: Counsel Differ On Obaseki’s Certificate
Also, the court dismissed petitions filed by the Action Peoples Party (APP) for lack of merits and awarded the sum of N600,000 against the appellants.
In the same vein, petitions filed by the Allied Peoples Movement was also resolved in favour of governor Godwin Obaseki and other respondents.
Recall that five political parties filed petitions at the tribunal contesting the declaration of Godwin Obaseki by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) as winner of the Edo State governorship election that was conducted in September 19, 2021.