The Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal has ruled against the petitioner, who alleged that the failure to record electoral materials before the election affected the outcome.
The petitioner presented documents but failed to provide proper witnesses to authenticate them. The tribunal noted that the documents were merely dumped before it without corroborating testimony.
Out of the 19 witnesses called by the petitioner, 14 were ward and local government agents. The star witness, who claimed to be a director of strategy, did not play any role in the conduct of the election. The tribunal observed that none of them spoke about the alleged failure to record electoral materials before the polls.
The tribunal further ruled that these witnesses were not competent to testify. It stated that the petitioner should have called eyewitnesses who were present at the polling units during the election.
Additionally, the tribunal referenced the Supreme Court’s guidelines, emphasizing that oral evidence is required to prove over-voting. It stated that it is bound by the Supreme Court’s roadmap in handling such electoral disputes.
With these findings, the tribunal dismissed the petition for lack of substantial evidence.
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