The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Makurdi, Benue State, has reserved judgment in the petition
instituted by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress
(APC), Emmanuel Jime against Samuel Ortom of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP).
Jime is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)
for returning Ortom as winner of the 2019 Benue Governorship election.
When the petition came up for adoption of final written address, lead
counsel to Ortom, Sebastian Hon and counsel for INEC, Offiong Offiong (SAN)
urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition with substantial cost, saying it
ought not to have been filed in the first place.
After hearing the counsel for the parties, Chairman of the Tribunal,
Justice Henry Olusiyi reserved judgement
to a date that he said would be communicated to concerned parties.
Defending why INEC did not call any witness, Offiong said INEC is not
obliged to call any witness, adding that it is until the petitioners prove
their case that the respondent will call witnesses.
The INEC counsel, even if the votes in the 31 polling units, to which the
petitioners called polling unit agents as witnesses were cancelled it will not
cancel the over 80, 000 margin of lead with which INEC declared Ortom as winner
of the poll.
