In what appears to be a clear case of political witch-hunt, some personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today stormed an hotel in Benin City the Edo State Capital to arrest the star witnesses of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Candidate, Asue Ighodalo in Sepetember 21, 2024 Governorship Election.
As at the time of filing this report, Ighodalo, Lawyers, some PDP members are still trying to obtain a cogent reason from the EFCC for the arrests they wanted to make.
The EFCC personnel have failed to produce an arrest warrant for any arrest.
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This is coming after the highly anticipated proceedings of the Edo Election Petition Tribunal was abruptly postponed on Monday after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Governor Monday Okpebholo requested an adjournment.
The respondents cited a conflicting Supreme Court engagement scheduled for Tuesday, January 14, 2025, as the reason for their inability to proceed.
At the start of the session, the tribunal’s Assistant Secretary read the application, explaining that the respondents had prior commitments that necessitated the delay.
Consequently, the tribunal hearing has been rescheduled to Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
Although the petitioners’ legal team expressed concerns about the short notice—having been informed only on January 12, 2025—they agreed to the adjournment on the condition that no further delays would occur, ensuring the tribunal’s schedule remains unaffected.
Goodluck Osaretin, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), expressed frustration outside the court.
“This smacks of delay tactics, just like their earlier attempts to prevent our inspection of the BVAS machines,” Osaretin remarked. “Still, we are confident in Barrister Asue’s experienced legal team. They may delay justice, but they cannot deny it. The APC colluded with INEC to rig this election, and we are here to reclaim our stolen mandate.”
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