By Lateef Taiwo
The Deputy Governor of Benue State, his Excellency, Hon. Samuel Ode is said to have flown out of the country over the anxiety in Benue APC, after Witnesses Testified at tribunal to find justice out of proportion.
The constitutional function of courts as arbiters of domestic disputes predisposes them to being viewed as one of the first institutions political actors might seek intervention from during and after the electoral period. Ideally, the courts would provide an alternative for resolving election disputes because political actors would seek redress from the courts instead of resorting to violence. Additionally, a robust court system may act as a deterrent for illegality, violence and electoral manipulation if political actors believe they will be punished for the use of above mentioned during an election season.
In line with the above-mentioned, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its 2023 governorship candidate in Benue State, Rt. Hon Titus Uba approached Governorship Election Petition Tribunal claiming that Alia’s deputy, Odeh obtained Form EC-9 (Affidavit in support of Personal Particulars) from INEC, filled, signed and submitted the Form to INEC falsely certifying that the said INEC Form EC-9 was sworn to before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Uba and PDP state that through their counsel, Samuel Irabor, via a letter dated 27th December, 2022 to the Chief Registrar, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja sought to verify the authenticity of the said INEC Form EC-9. The petitioners closed their case with five witnesses.
Relatedly, “Hon Ode as a renowned administrator, charismatic politician and lawyer by training knows the implication of forged document offences under penal code (Section 465 of the Criminal Code Act in Nigeria) then, jetted out in an effort to save himself and his boss of imminent danger of being swept away by the Election Petition Tribunal”, The source who’s privy with the development said.
It’s glaringly obvious that, no Machiavellianism can have the integrity of panels of election petition tribunal interposed or manoeuvre for self-seeking aggrandizement of particular group of individuals hence, he’s only seeking a knot in a bulrush.
Recall that, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, All Progressives Congress, APC, Governor Hyacinth Alia and his deputy, Sam Odeh, last week, asked the tribunal to give them more time to open their defence in the petition challenging their victory however, having met situational irony resort to key into dishonest ways to manoeuvres the system.
The source narrate further that, one of tribunal panel is based in American with the family whom Hon.Ode travelled far distance to lobby for undeserving Victory at much anticipated judgement into the case. if allow to perforate judicial process, it’ll shows that the manipulation of democratic institutions is a powerful means of retaining political power while permitting injustice and corruption in the state .
