TUESDAY January 28th, is slated for the resumed hearing at the ongoing Edo election petitions tribunal; up until Friday, sitting held at the Federal High Court, Sapele Road, Benin City, the Edo State capital; bordering on insecurity however, tribunal was forced to relocate to Abuja, last Friday.
Abuja relocation however surprising, is widely anticipated to provide a neutral ground for credible, transparent, dispassionate, fair, and unencumbered judgement sometime around March/April.
There has been spate of insecurity and violent attacks solely sponsored by thugs loyal to the APC in Edo; we have seen, equally, threats dished out on security personnel by APC-affiliate thugs, who have since been summoned by the Nigeria Police Force for questioning; there has also been sporadic shootings around the court premises, development that has enraged relevant authorities, all coordinated by APC in Edo.
However, Tuesday marks the beginning of a historic development in our polity; the outcome of the tribunal, which is expected to rope around justice, equity, fairness, transparency, credibility and dispassion, is anticipated to flesh up contemporary nationwide agitations for electoral reforms and by extension, public institutions’ reform, for which INEC, Nigeria’s electoral body, occupies the front burner.
The last few days however, has seen the APC develop cold feet, occasioned by the varying revelations, exposures of massive irregularities, inconsistencies, fraud, that enveloped the September 21 Edo guber, for which APC/Okpebholo gained principally.
The coming days promises interesting courtroom conversations, going by the tribunal’s avowed commitment to do the right thing, which has destabilized the APC, and by extension, given the vast majority of Edo people the opportunity to have the true leaders they voted, September 21, 2024, Asue Ighodalo and his unassuming running mate, Osarodion Ogie.
