24th July, 2015
Jethro Ibileke/Benin
The Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal Thursday issued a bench warrant on the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC), following its failure to obey a subpoena issued on it to appear before the Tribunal.
The tribunal had earlier summoned the examination body to testify in the case filed by Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for Oredo East constituency, Okoro Osadebamwen, to enable the defendants close their case.
In the petition, the PDP’s candidate alleged that the school certificates from primary to university degree presented by Osagboivo Iyoha of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, were all fake.
Iyoha who appeared before the tribunal however insisted that the certificates he presented were genuine.
He told the tribunal that he gained admission to the Edo State University but as at the time he applied for his certificate, the state government has changed the name of the institution to the Ambrose Alli University, adding that the names in all the certificates belonged to him and that the name Tony was his baptismal name.
Counsel to the APC’s candidate, Barrister Eghogho Enahoro, informed the tribunal that the subpoena served on WAEC was collected after several attempts and wondered why the examination body was not in court, while Counsel to Okoro, Solomon Odiase, said that the Defence Counsel was using the refusal of WAEC to appear before the Tribunal as a ploy to delay justice before the expiration of the 180 days provided in the Electoral Act.
Consequently, the three-man panel tribunal headed by Justice S. Anjo, issued a bench warrant for WAEC to appear before it.