Tribunal withholds appeal documents against PDP

The election petition tribunal has continued to withhold documents containing records of the judgement in a petition brought before it by a candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State. NATIONAL DAILY learned that the tribunal did not release the documents five days after judgement was delivered to allow the petitioner file an appeal challenging the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

The petitionet, Omosede Igbinedion, had raised an alarm: “Five days after delivery of judgment in my Election No. EPT/ED/HR/2019, the Tribunal is yet to make copies of the Judgment available to the parties particularly the petitioners who would want to exercise their right of appeal against the highly flawed judgment knowing fully well that the time within which to appeal is 21 days from the date of the decision.”

Igbinedion remarked that the tribunal is delaying the release of the documents to cover up the manipulation of the judgement. According to him, “This is simply because it was doctored. My Judgement took over 5 hours, it was the longest, just to justify their fraud.

“The Judgment was to take place by 9am the court did not sit till 10.40am despite all judges being in the premises.”