The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Benin City, Edo State’s capital, dismissed two petitions challenging the victory of two Labour Party candidates in the House of Representatives election on February 25 for lack of merit on Thursday.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for that seat, Okhuarobo Osamuede, and his party disputed the election’s results in one of the petitions, arguing that the LP’s Murphy Omoruyi should not have been chosen to represent the Egor/Ikpoba Okha Federal Constituency.
Osamuede argued that the election was unlawful due to fraud, non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2022 as modified, and the fact that Murphy, the first respondent, was ineligible to run for office because he was not a member of the third respondent, the Labour Party.
But the Tribunal, in dismissing the petition, held that the petitioners did not prove any of the grounds of the petition.
The petition brought by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate in that election, Eribo Crosby Osadolor, was dismissed by the tribunal because the petitioners were unable to establish any of the grounds for the dismissal.
The petition was likewise denied because it lacked merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Iyawe Aisosa, the Labour Party, and the PDP candidate in the House of Representatives election for the Oredo Federal Constituency held on February 25 all faced rejection by the Tribunal for lack of merit in Sunday Aguebor’s petition.
The petition alleged non-compliance with the requirements of the Electoral Act of 2022, as amended, which the Tribunal determined they had failed to substantiate since accusations of non-compliance must be supported by evidence from each ward and polling unit.
