The candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Lucky Iboi, has challenged the election victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.
In a petition filed before the electoral tribunal in Benin, Edo State capital on Monday, October 5, the ADP candidate said he was challenging the eligibility of the governor to contest the election held on Saturday, September 19.
Another ground, as contained in ADP and its candidate’s petition, is that Governor Obaseki presented a forged certificate to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The development is coming barely 24 hours after Osagie Ize-Iyamu, All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election, said he would file two pre-election cases against the governor.
The party also alleged irregularities in the candidacy of the governor, saying he participated in both the APC and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries.
ADP has called for the total annulment of the Ed guber poll held on Saturday, September 19.
Reporters At Large gathers that joined in the suit marked EPT/ED/GOV/01/2020 are the INEC, PDP, Godwin Obaseki, APC and Osagie Ize-Iyamu as 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respondents respectively.
Part of the petition read: “A declaration that the 3rd respondent was at the time the election, which held on 19/9/2020, not qualified to contest the election for having submitted a false/forged document or certificate to the 3rd respondent, (INEC) along with his Form EC9.
“An order nullifying the governorship election, which held on 19/9/2020 in view of the fact that the 1st respondent returned the 3rd respondent, who was not qualified to contest the election as the winner of the election.”
Recall that the National Conscience Party (NCP) had earlier called for the annulment of the guber poll.
Its candidate, Osawaru Omoragbon, urged INEC to cancel the election over what he termed as the illegal exclusion of his party’s logo and name on the ballot by the electoral commission.
Omoragbon urged Governor Obaseki to honourably resign instead of being sacked by the court and made to face the possibility of a two-year jail term for breaching the electoral act.
