Appeal Court upholds Obaseki’s governorship election

The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin City has upheld the 2020 election that brought governor Godwin Obaseki to office for a second term.

All petitions seeking to quash the election by the All Progressives Congress were dismissed by the Court which was presided by Justice M. A. Owoade.

The Court’s decision on Wednesday followed the Action Democratic Party (ADP)’s dissatisfaction of the Tribunal’s verdict which ruled in favour of Godwin Obaseki stating that he didn’t forge his degree result as alledged.

Delivering judgment in the appeal marked CA/B/EPT/GOV/01 & 1A/2021 Action Democratic Party & Anor v. INEC & 2Ors, the appellate court on Wednesday held that Obaseki did not forge the certificates with which he contested the election.

The court, therefore, dismissed the appeal filed by the ADP and its candidate.

In another issue brought before the Court was the petition by Action Alliance (AA), Action Peoples Party (APP), asking the Court to annul Obaseki’s election because the Independent National Electoral Commission unlawfully excluded the parties from participating in the election.

In the judgement in the case, marked /B/EPT/GOV/02/2021 Action Peoples Party (APP) Vs Godwin N. Obaseki & 2Ors, the court in a unanimous decision, upheld the judgment of the tribunal and dismissed the appeal with cost assessed at N600,000 each on two different counts.

Obaseki won all the cases pressed against him.

M. A. Owoade who led the panel of justices said the inclusion of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, as respondents in the petition, was a ploy by Ize-Iyamu to fight his case through another petitioner.