Osagie Ize-Iyamu
Edo election: Appeal Court upholds Governor Obaseki’s victory
The Court of Appeal, sitting in Benin, yesterday, upheld the ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal against the Action Democratic Party (ADP), and reaffirmed the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki at the 2020 governorship election. Delivering the judgement in the case marked CA/B/EPT/GOV/01 & 1A/2021 Action Democratic Party & Anor v. INEC & 2Ors, the court held that Obaseki did not forge his certificates with which he contested the 2020 governorship election and dismissed the appeal filed by the ADP and its candidate. In another case marked /B/EPT/GOV/02/2021 Action Peoples Party (APP) Vs Godwin N. Obaseki & 2Ors., the Court unanimously upheld the Judgment of the Tribunal and dismissed the Appeal with costs assessed at N600,000 each, on two differe...
Kassim Afegbua: No need for reconciliation with Governor Obaseki
Prince Kassim Afegbua, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Commissioner for Information in the state, has said he has no need to reconcile with Governor Godwin Obaseki on his purported suspension from the party. Speaking in an interview, Afegbua also said he remained a member of the PDP despite his public endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election in Edo state. He said: “There is nothing to reconcile with the state Governor. I am older than him at the party. He only came because he needed a platform to contest the election. After his second term inauguration, can you name the PDP members in his administration, five months after? “Yes, I was purportedly suspended for one month by my ward...
Edo APC to appeal Abuja high court judgement
The chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Edo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Col David Imuse (rtd), has said that the party would appeal Saturday’s judgement by the Federal High Court, Abuja, which dismissed the alleged certificate forgery suit filed against Governor Godwin Obaseki by the party. The presiding judge, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, had on Saturday dismissed the suit filed by the APC and a chieftain of the party, Williams Edobor, on the conclusion that the plaintiffs failed to prove their allegations of forgery against Governor Obaseki as it is expected in every criminal matter. “Allegation of forgery borders on crime which must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. In the instant case, no iota of evidence talk-less of a proof beyond reasonable doubt was bro...
Edo election: Court annuls Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Gani Audu’s APC candidacy
An Edo State High Court sitting in Benin, has nullified the candidacy of the Deputy Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the September 19, 2020 governorship election in the State, Mr. Gani Audu. The court presided over by Justice Courage Ogbebor, by extension, also nullified the candidacy of the party’s governorship candidate for the election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. Audu is a former member of the State House of Assembly. The Plaintiff, Sunday Kadiri, from Ogbona ward, in Etsako West Local Government Area of the State, had asked the court to disqualify Audu from participating in the election on account of having given false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to aid his qualification for the election. Kadiri further prayed the ...
Court orders Governor Obaseki to open defence in ‘certificate forgery’ case
The All Progressives Congress, APC, on Monday, closed the forgery case it instituted against Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State, after it called a total of six witnesses and tendered 17 Exhibits. Lead counsel to the APC, Chief Akin Olujimi, SAN, announced decision of the party to rest its case, shortly after the court discharged the sixth witness, PW-6, Dr. Mikano Asekome, who is an Associate Professor in Banking and Finance Department at Benson Idahosa University, Benin city, Edo state. The PW-6 told the court that he was on December 23, 2020, summoned to appear as witness in the matter. The witness went ahead and tendered in evidence, the original copy of his certificate in Agricultural-Economics, which the University of Ibadan awarded to him on July 31, 1978. Under cross-examination, ...
Why APC ‘suspended’ Ekiti governor
The State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has suspended Governor Kayode Fayemi. Fayemi was accused of holding meetings and fraternising with PDP members like Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. According the statement, Fayemi was suspended due to “his numerous anti-party activities, especially his role in the recently concluded governorship election in Edo State which is contrary to the provisions of Article 21 (A) (ii) of the APC constitution.” The Ekiti chapter of the APC claims that five days before the Edo election, Fayemi hosted FFK in government house Ekiti. “For five days prior to the Edo election, Gov Fayemi hosted PDP big wig Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode in the government house in Ado Ekit...
Edo election: US expresses concern over vote-buying, intimidation of voters
The United States Government Wednesday said it is concerned over recorded cases of vote-buying and intimidation of voters and observers during last Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State. The US government in a statement by the United States Mission in Nigeria, also applauded the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the Nigerian security services on the positive role they played in the election. According to the statement posted on its verified twitter handle, @USinNigeria, said the US government also recognizes the critical role that Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, during the exercise. The statement reads: “Congratulations to the people of Edo State on a credible and pea...
Edo election: APC rejects Governor Obaseki’s victory
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the result of the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier announced the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Godwin Obaseki as the winner of the election after securing 307, 955 votes, while the Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the All Progressives Congress polled 223,619. But the APC has alleged a foul lay in the election, saying some of the figures announced were fabricated. While rejecting the results of the election, the Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, alleged “strong-arm tactics”. In a terse statement in which he urged supporters of the party to stay calm while the party leaders determine the next move, Mayaki said, some members o...
PDP: We will resist attempt to declare Edo election results inconclusive
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for Edo State governorship election, Sunday has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the Edo election results, saying that it will resist attempts to declare the election which was held on Saturday inconclusive. Chairman of the party’s National campaign council and Rivers State governor, Mr. Nyeson Wike, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against such move. Wike alleged that the INEC returning officer for Orhionmwon local government has disappeared after supervising collation of results in the area. He saids, “We call on INEC and to let the general public know that the man is locked up in an office in INEC complex.” Offi...
Edo election: Court fixes October 14 to hear PDP’s suit seeking Pastor Ize-Iyamu disqualification
Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, adjourned to October 14, to commence hearing in the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seeking the disqualification of Pastor Osagie Ize-iyamu from the September 19 governorship election in Edo State. Justice Mohammed fixed the date following an agreement by parties to hear the suit after the court’s vacation period. The court had last week adjourned to September 16 for hearing in the application against the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging the court’s jurisdiction being a vacation court to entertain the suit. When the matter came up, on Wednesday, counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Ken Mozia (SAN), informed the court that the matter for the day was the hearing of the APC’s objec...
Edo election: Atiku Abubakar asks voters to vote Governor Obaseki
Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has asked voters to cast their votes for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Godwin Obaseki, in the Saturday’s Governorship election in Edo State. He tweeted this a few hours after the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, said Obaseki does not deserve a single vote in the Saturday governorship election. The former governor of Lagos State had in a televised broadcast said, “He (Obaseki) does not deserve any democratic ballot paper. Don’t vote for him, I appeal to all of you.” But Obaseki debunked Tinubu’s claim, noting that Tinubu would fail in his attempt “to extend his political dominance and empire to Edo State”. Atiku in his tweet warned against violence during the election. He said, “The democracy that we enjoy t...
Edo election: PDP, Comrade Oshiomhole bicker over ‘intimidation’ of voters
File Photo The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo and a former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, are in a war of words over alleged planned intimidation of Edo’s voters with soldiers and stockpiling of arms. Edo PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, at a news conference in Benin, accused Oshiomhole, an ex-governor, of using soldiers to intimidate voters in Benin City and Auchi. It also accused Oshiomhole of stockpiling arms in his house at Iyamho hometown in Etsako West Local Government Area for the election next Saturday. It asked security agents to search the Iyamho house of the former governor while urging the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, and President Muhammadu Buhari, to call Oshiomhole to order. The...
