Justice Wilfred Kpochi, the Chairman of the 2024 Edo Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, announced on Saturday that the involved parties have consented to present 290 witnesses.
The tribunal session was adjourned to January 13, 2025, with an established schedule for witness examinations and the overall hearing process.
In the pre-hearing report, Kpochi stated, “The parties have agreed to a total of 290 witnesses,” and detailed that the timeframe for witness examination includes 40 minutes for examination-in-chief for each key witness, 30 minutes for petitioners’ cross-examination, and 20 minutes for each respondent’s cross-examination.
Additionally, the parties settled on a 10-minute re-examination period for each key witness and 25 minutes for examination-in-chief for regular witnesses. The petitioners are required to present their witnesses within 21 days, while respondents have 10 days for theirs.
The tribunal will convene daily at 10 am, excluding Sundays and legally recognized public holidays. Justice Kpochi specified that the petitions would not be consolidated with any others, as there were no applications or amendments regarding that matter.
Furthermore, the parties agreed to call only witnesses who had previously submitted sworn statements and may summon subpoenaed witnesses as needed. An interpreter will be available for witnesses requiring translation from English to local languages, including Benin, Esan, and Auchi.
The next hearing is set for January 13, 2025, after the pre-hearing report was accepted. In this case, petitioners Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party are contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s declaration of Monday Okpebholo as the election winner. In the September 21 governorship election, Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress was proclaimed the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,274 votes.
