By Newsmata
Responding to the celebration by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of what transpired at Monday’s proceedings at the resumed sitting of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal during which Governor Monday Okpebholo’s witness, Majek Osumah, was said to have admitted over voting at his polling unit in Ovia, the state Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, upbraided the PDP for including in their petitions areas where results were cancelled for reason of over-voting.
Insisting that results were not computed nor reflected in the overall results in polling units where there was over-voting, Idahosa knocked the PDP for petitioning against these areas without conducting proper research.
According to Idahosa who is from Ovia, “But today, I feel I have to address some wrong claims being made by the Peoples Democratic Party.
“Today, in court, the lead Counsel, Ikpeazu, called a witness in my local government, Ovia because PDP petitioned that there was over voting, and they wanted to prove that.
“But the law is clear on over voting. It says that where there is over voting, results from that unit should be cancelled and that was what happened in unit four, ward seven in Usen. But PDP went ahead to petition against these areas without doing their findings.
“When you want to petition someone or an organisation, you must have your facts correctly. They petitioned that results where there were over voting were computed. But unknown to them, results of those areas were not included in the overall result.
“One of the APC’s witnesses testified today that cancelled results were not computed. My question is why the PDP will petition a place where results have been cancelled. It shows that they are clueless, and they don’t understand the way things are done. They are running their mouths as if the proceeding of the court is done in the media.
“I am here to clarify those facts, to let the whole world know that those units/wards that the PDP petitioned in Ovia and in other places in the state have been cancelled due to over voting. So, it did not reflect in the overall result.
“Results at the unit is recorded on form EC8A so results from those units were recorded as zero and it also did not reflect on form EC8B for the ward result. So, the PDP should have known this. It shows that they are clueless and if they need someone to advise on other matters, I will give it to them free of charge.
“For the one, the PDP doesn’t have a case; the onus is on them to prove their case. I have been in court several times and their witnesses have contradicted what they swore to on oath,” he said.