EDO ENDLESS ELECTION BATTLES: PDP/OSAGIE IYAMU TOLD TO EMBRACE PEACE LIKE MANDELA, OBAMA, JEAN ARISTIDES ETC (PART 1)
Only last week, an election
petition tribunal sitting in Benin, Edo State, affirmed the victory of Godwin
Obaseki as the winner of the gubernatorial elections held on September 28,
2016.
At a time many are expecting full return of
serenity and harmony in the State, peace seems to be the
last word for now, as the Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the
election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, had challenged Mr. Obaseki’s victory, alleging
widespread irregularities. Mr. Ize-Iyamu, a Christian preacher, is refusing
peace and has instructed his lawyers to file an appeal immediately.
The case is getting more dicey, as Mr. Obaseki, who ran on the platform of the
All Progressives Congress, was declared the winner of the election by the
Independent National Electoral Commission. Mr. Obaseki polled 319,483 votes as
against Ize-Iyamu’s 253,173 votes, defeating the PDP candidate with 66, 310
votes.
Ahmed Badamosi, who led the
three-man tribunal, dismissed Mr. Ize-Iyamu’s petition, saying it lacked merit.
Mr. Badamosi held that the petitioners failed on all fronts to prove their
allegations of voter fraud and other corrupt practices that allegedly marred
the poll. “The petitioners have failed to prove their case with credible
evidence and it’s therefore dismissed,’’ he said. The tribunal held that while
the petitioners abandoned some of their pleadings, “witnesses evidence was
controverted under cross-examination’’.
“The much talked about ticking and
over voting by the petitioners have not been specifically proved beyond
reasonable doubts. “And not calling witnesses to prove their allegations of
corrupt practices and over voting was fatal to their case and is deemed to have
abandoned their pleadings,’’ it found. “Accordingly, the petition has failed
and is hereby dismissed,’’ it held. Mr. Ize-Iyamu and the PDP had listed INEC,
Mr. Obaseki and the APC as first, second and third respondents, respectively.
He asked the tribunal to nullify the election of Mr. Obaseki and declare him
the winner, having allegedly scored majority of the lawful votes cast among
other reliefs sought.
THE big question many are now
asking is why can’t Pastor Osagie accept the ruling and seek peace like Africa’s /world great Politicians have done
in past? Osagie and PDP must let go and give peace a chance and by that way emulating
some bigger global politicians who chose peace than war e.g.: Mandela, Obama, Nkrumah, ex Haiti
leader Jean Bertrand Aristides and former Nigerian president Jonathan
·
VIEWS HERE ARE EXPRESSED BASED ON self opinionated angle
by the wordsmith of this peace article , Chief Mike Cerutti Osagie
-He can be contacted via
: youngchief@yahoo.com
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