Politics

Enugu LP Candidate, Edeoga Closes Cases Against Mbah, INEC With 30 Witnesses

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2023

The Labour Party and its governorship candidate in the March 18 governorship election in Enugu State, Chijioke Edeoga have officially closed their case against the election that produced Peter Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party the governor.

Edeoga and his party are challenging the election of Mbah of the Peoples Democratic Party insisting that it was rigged and that Mbah didn’t score the highest valid votes cast during the poll.

He is also praying the tribunal disqualify Mbah over an alleged forgery of the National Youth Service Corps discharge certificate.

The LP candidate closed his case after he tendered several documentary evidence and called a total of 30 witnesses that testified before the Enugu State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Enugu.

Among the exhibits he tendered before the court included polling unit results (form EC8A) in all the areas in contention; ward collation results (form EC8B) in the affected areas and a summary of the results as well as the declaration of the results.

The petitioners also tendered among many others, the NYSC produced documents of Oma and Partners; form EC9 of Chijioke Edeoga and Governor Peter Mbah as well as the BVAS machines which was brought to court by the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who was subpoenaed to appear before the court on Sunday.

Though Edeoga initially told the court that he would call a total of 37 witnesses to testify in the matter, he closed his case on Sunday with the testimony of the Enugu State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who appeared as the 18th witness for the petitioners.

At the resumed hearing on Sunday where the REC was subpoenaed to produce, BVAS machines, one of the senior staff of the commission, Victor Okafor, brought only five BVAS machines as against the number demanded by the petitioners.

Edeoga had applied for a subpoena on the REC to produce the BVAS machines from Owo, Ugbawka 1 Registration Areas in Nkanu East LGA as well as some other polling units in Igboeze North LGA.

But, during cross-examination by the petitioners’ counsel, Okafor who appeared on behalf of the REC, Dr Chukwuemeka Chukwu, said he was mandated to produce five BVAS machines before the tribunal.

He said that the information that was generated on the BVAS machines during the governorship election on March 18 was now contained in the BVAS report from the Headquarters in Abuja.

He said that he did not have the BVAS machines for the Owo and Ugbawka 1 registration areas of the Nkanu East Local Government Area, adding that the machines could only be identified by their codes.

According to him, the codes of the five BVAS machines brought included 14/08/06/003, 14/08/01/002, 14/08/06/005, 14/08/17/012, 14/08/01/003,

“All the machines contained the BVAS and accessories,” he said.

He said that he could not operate the BVAS machines beyond the information he earlier gave concerning them because they (machines) had not been used since after the election.

He also did not provide the certified true copies of the BVAS report of the 2023 governorship election polling unit- by-polling unit, as well as the CTC of voters, register used in Owo and Ugbawka 1 Registration Areas in Nkanu East LGA of the state.

He however insisted that he was not holding back any information, as according to him, all the documents they applied and paid for have been supplied to the petitioners.

The LP counsel, Mr Eyitayo Fatogun (SAN) tendered the five BVAS machines to the Tribunal as the PDP counsel, Dr Onyechi Ikpeazu, and Mbah’s counsel, Mr Alex Izinyon objected to the tendering of the machines, saying that their reasons would be made known during their final addresses.

The tribunal, however, admitted the BVAS machines as evidence.

Responding to the question by the counsel to Mbah, the INEC staff said that the machine could contain only successfully uploaded accredited information.

The two last witnesses called by the LP, Mr Abba Godwin and Amos Onyebuchi, who were LP agents, from Ette Central and Ikwele Ugbele respectively, both from Igbo-Etiti North LGA said that there was overvoting at their polling units during the governorship election.

Upon the close of the petitioner’s case, the lead counsel to the petitioner, Dr V.J Azinge (SAN) commended the Tribunal for their patience as she closed the case.

The INEC counsel, Mr H Okoli applied for a date to open their defense.

The Chairman of the Tribunal, Justice M. K Akano adjourned the matter till July 18 for INEC to open its defense.

PUNCH

Politics

I’m Not Ready To Go Into The Gutters With Anyone – Makinde

Published

1 day ago

August 21, 2025

Editor

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, said he is not ready to “go low with anyone who decides to go into the gutters.”

He made this statement while addressing journalists shortly after the South-West zoning consultative summit of the Peoples Democratic Party, held in Lagos.

He said, “Personally, when people go low or go into the gutters, I don’t go with them. Some people are now going into the gutters. We will reach out to them. That is democracy.

“I can disagree with people, but there shouldn’t be anything personal here. It should be about what we are giving to Nigerians because they are watching.”

The governor added that despite challenges, recent elections had shown that the PDP remained a formidable force.

“In all our states, they showed last Saturday that PDP is not dead. In most other places of the 12 states, PDP came second. It is an indication to us that if we continue to work hard, we can reclaim the confidence of Nigerians,” he said.

When asked about discussions on zoning of the PDP presidential ticket to the South, Makinde said the party was not yet at that stage.

“We haven’t even gotten there. We need to have a party first before you start talking about presidential candidates. If we don’t have a party, anything you are trying to do will fall flat.

“Our efforts right now are directed towards having a vibrant and united PDP that Nigerians will be proud of and believe in again,” he said.

Dignitaries at the meeting include the Chairman of PDP Board of Trustees, Adolphus Wabara, Chairman of the party’s National Zoning Committee and Bayelsa state governor, Douye Diri; Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun state, Peter Mba of Enugu State, represented by his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai; former Osun Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Bode George; and Monsurat Sunmonu.

Others were 12 of the 17 PDP National Assembly members and key stakeholders of the party from across the southern states.

Politics

2027 Presidency: Idahosa Reiterates Okpebholo’s Promises Of Delivering Edo To Tinubu

Published

3 days ago

August 19, 2025

Editor

Edo State deputy governor, Hon. Dennis Idahosa on Tuesday reiterated the promise of Governor Monday Okpebholo of delivering the state to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.

The deputy said that the just concluded by-elections in the state was an affirmation of that promised made by his principal.

Idahosa stated this in a press statement sogned by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Friday Aghedo, and made available to newsmen.

He said Okpebholo did not just make the promise of delivery the state to the APC, but that Edo will secure 2.5m votes for the President in 2027.

He commended the leadership of the party across Ovia federal constituency for their providing the leadership that made a APC victorious on Saturday.

He, however, noted that there was more room for improvement ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, “after the victory, we called the leadership of the Ovia federal constituency to review and evaluate our performance at the poll, to observe areas where we need to work on next time.

“The bye-election was a litmus test for the 2027 presidential election. We are fully ready.”

Idahosa also used the opportunity to sensitize the people on the ongoing continuous voters registration and revalidation process by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He also reeled out measures in place by the party to get new registered members for the exercise when commenced on Monday.

“We are going to constitute subcommittees to mobilize people who have not yet registered to enable us actualize on the promised votes to the president,” he said.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives member elect, Omosede Igbinedion, promised to deliver on her campaign promises to the people.

“Ovia Federal Constituency should expect nothing but the best, in terms of representation and also in terms of developmental strides.

“We will come through, in anything we can do, from the federal level to complement the governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and the tremendous work he is doing at the state.

“Ovia is looking very bright. The deputy governor, Dennis Idahosa, has laid a good foundation we will build upon that foundation,” she said.

Politics

APC Disowns Members Calling For State Secretary’s Resignation

Published

3 days ago

August 19, 2025

Editor

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State has urged members of the public to disregard those calling for the resignation of the state secretary, Engr. Lawrence Okah, saying they are not members of the party.

Recall that a group named Oredo Local Government All Progressives Congress Concerned Group had yesterday, Monday August 18, 2025, during a press conference, called for the resignation of the state secretary of the party over alleged marginalisation.

The group, led by its coordinator, Osamuyi Osadiaye had during the press conference alleged that Okah had arrogated all political positions allocated to Oredo LG to his Ward 7, thereby making the remaining 11 wards in the local government area irrelevant.

But in a swift reaction in a statement made available to INFO DAILY, Osamudiamen Osarenkhoe and Magdalene Isekhure, Oredo APC Chairman and Secretary respectively, alleged that the people behind the call were sponsored by the opposition, insisting that they are not known to the APC in the local government.

The duo, while calling on the general public to disregard the call for the secretary’s resignation, noted that Okah is a “reputable party man who has put everything humanly and constitutionally possible to ensure that APC remains the party to beat in Edo state and Nigeria as a whole.”

The statement partly reads: “The leadership of APC in Oredo Local Government area views the activities of those involved in the illicit campaign as one that is sponsored by opposition political parties.

“Firstly, the group members connected to the media statement coordinated by one Osamuyi Osadiaye are not known members of the APC in Oredo Local Government Area.

“They are impostors and interlopers trying to create trouble in the local government chapter of the APC.

“Members of the public are hereby called upon to disregard the Press statement in its entirety as everything said by the fake APC members are all lies from the pit of hell.”