The 1st Respondent in the petition filed by Barr. Chijioke Edeoga, the Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, today failed to open it’s defense to the suit.

Our correspondent who was in Court gathered that the commission said it’s not ready.

However,  the Enugu governorship election Petitions Tribunal headed by Honourable Justice Akano adjourned till tomorrow, 19th July, 2023 for the 2nd Respondent, Peter Mbah to open his case.

A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in next year’s election in Edo State, Gideon Obakhan, has said that political leaders can no longer take for granted the power of the electorate as the days of queueing behind a favoured candidate were over.

Obakhan who said this in Benin on Sunday noted that political parties now know that they need to field their best if they intend to win an election.

He stated that the last election, which saw many notable political leaders including President Bola Tinubu losing their states to opposition parties was an eye-opener to political leaders and aspirants, noting that many voters are now aware of the power they have in deciding the fate of the country.

“The people are the ones to decide who the party will present for election. The last election has shown that the right candidates must be fielded by political parties if they hope to win elections.

“Gone are the days when political leaders would present a candidate, and instruct party faithful to queue behind them. The right candidate must be presented or parties risk losing elections,” he added.

He also urged the political parties to field candidates from Edo Central to ensure fairness, equity, and justice as the region was yet to rule the state since 1999 safe for the truncated 18 months reign of Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor who was sacked by a court.

“I hear people talking about Edo South having the capacity to win the election but I ask where is the place of fairness, equity, and justice in our politics? Edo Central should be given the opportunity to rule the state this time.

“The narrative has changed and whoever wins must have done a lot of work during the campaigns. However, Edo Central should be given a chance in the state,” he added.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu, former National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has broken his silence.

Ever since news of his resignation broke at the weekend, the founding member of the ruling party has maintained sealed lips.

But when contacted by journalists, Adamu said he would not comment on the matter until President Bola Tinubu returns from the African Union (AU) meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

“I won’t talk about the issue because the president is away,” Adamu told this paper over the phone.

Tinubu left the country on Saturday and according to his itinerary released by Dele Alake, his spokesman, the president is due to return to the country at the end of the meeting.

The president is being expected any moment from now.

A founding member of the party said Adamu resigned when he got wind that two influential personalities around the president had mobilised against him ahead of the National Caucus and National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings of the party slated for Tuesday and Wednesday.

The party had fixed July 10 and 11 for its National Caucus and NEC meetings to iron out critical issues affecting it and the crisis within the National Working Committee (NWC).

However, the meetings were later postponed and rescheduled.

“He resigned because they have started to collate signatures to impeach him during the forthcoming meetings. He resigned to save himself from humiliation,” the top politician said.

A source said Adamu sent his resignation letter to the Chief of Staff of the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, around 4pm on Sunday.

“He has resigned. The resignation letter signed by him has been sent to the villa. The letter was addressed to President Tinubu. But since the president is away in Kenya for the AU meeting, the letter was sent to his chief of staff,” the source said.

Adamu spent barely 15 months in office. Towards the end of his tenure, he fell out with some key members of the party over the principal officers of the National Assembly, whom he rejected, but he reportedly let go off the issue following the intervention of Tinubu.

After an Aso Rock meeting, Adamu described the row over the National Assembly principal officers as “family affair”

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections in Enugu state, Mr. Frank Nweke has withdrawn the petition filed against Governor Peter Mbah at the Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal.

The former minister who came third at the March 18 governorship election is in the tribunal challenging the outcome of the process.

However, during the proceedings on Sunday, Nweke’s counsel, Prof. Race Achara, addressed the tribunal and expressed his client’s intention to make an oral application to withdraw the petition, identified as EPTEN/GOV/07/2023, from the court.

Achara stated, “My lords, as instructed by my client, I wish to make an oral application before the honorable tribunal to withdraw the petition filed against the first, second, and third respondents in this matter so that we will no longer be wasting the time of the court, as we were not able to gather the evidence that will help in prosecuting the matter.”

Responding to the petitioner’s application, the first, second, and third respondents informed the court that they had no objections to Nweke’s withdrawal.

Consequently, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice M. K Akano, ruled to strike out the petition.

“The petition before the tribunal with suit number EPTEN/GOV/07/2023 is hereby withdrawn,” the tribunal declared.

Following the withdrawal, counsel to the first respondent, PMB Onyia (Esq.), addressed the press and expressed his view that the petitioners chose to withdraw their petition because they deemed it unlikely to succeed.

“I would like to say that they withdrew their petition because it had no chance of succeeding,” Onyia explained.

Today, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, disobeyed the court order to produce before the Enugu Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, all the BVAS machines used for the Governorship Election.

The representative of the electoral umpire, Victor Ezeokafor only brought five Biometric Voter Accreditation System, BVAS to Court but excluded the ones used in Owo ward as well as the ones used in Ugbawka, Nkanu East LGA which are in contention before the Tribunal.

Arrival of BVAS Machines 

The information on the Five BVAS machines that were brought to the court by the INEC witness could not be accessed as same had been de-activited.

The INEC staff confirmed that the certified true copies of poling units results (form EC8A) and the BVAS are the same as the one contained in the BVAS machines.

By implication, provision of section 167 of the Evidence Act has been activated.

Section 167 Evidence Act 2011 provides thus;
(d) evidence which could be and is not produced would, if produced, be unfavourable to the person who withholds it; (e) when a document creating an obligation is in the hands of the obligor, the obligation has been discharged.

Advertorial

Labour Party closed her case today.

The three man panel headed by Honourable Justice Akano however adjourned the matter to the 18th day of July, 2023 for the INEC to open it’s defence.

By Hon. Simon Onyema Edeh,

Uneasy calm has enveloped PDP Enugu as Chijioke Edeoga and Labour Party close their case against Peter Mbah, PDP and INEC today after 7 days of testification and tendering of documents by witnesses, it is glaringly clear to whoever that has followed the case closely that the petitioners have successfully discharged the burden of proof in all their grounds of petition. Their grounds of petitions are unassailable supported with facts, law and unimpeachable evidence.

Firstly, the requirement for establishing and substantiating forgery based on supreme court decision has been met with the testification and tendering of disclaimer letter by NYSC, being the issuing authority for NYSC certificate.

Secondly, the requirement for establishing over voting based on Supreme Court decision on Osun case has also been met with the tendering of certified copies of form EC8A, Voters register, BVAS report and pleading of machines supported by unimpeachable testimonies of witnesses in the affected polling units.
The attempts by the respondents to stall the inspection of BVAS machines as ordered by the court has been cured with the subpoena for INEC to produce the BVAS machines before the court today.

Advertorial

However, where INEC fails to produce BVAS machines as ordered by the court, it will amount to withholding of evidence and the Evidence Act will be invoked thus;
Section 167 Evidence Act 2011
(d) evidence which could be and is not produced would, if produced, be unfavourable to the person who withholds it; (e) when a document creating an obligation is in the hands of the obligor, the obligation has been discharged.

With the mountains of evidence deposed to the Tribunal by the petitioners, it is understandable why there is uneasy calm in the camp of the usurpers as they can no longer deny that the quit notice already served on them will culminate to their final eviction.

Their resort to media propaganda is only an interim measure to save supporters from high blood pressure and relapse in depression.

A New Enugu State Is Possible.