Edo Election: Has Ize-Iyamu accepted defeat?

The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, seems to have accepted the outcome of the election he lost, as he is yet to file a petition challenging the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to Section 285 (5) of the constitution, Ize-Iyamu has 14 days left to file a petition at the Election Tribunal.

According to Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), “Section 285(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides that an aggrieved party in a governorship election of a state in Nigeria must file his or her complaints at the State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal inaugurated to hear such matters not later than 21 days from the announcement of results of the governorship poll by INEC.

“In the event of failure to file the petition within 21 days after results were announced the petition would be said to have become statute barred, that is it is forbidden by law, dead, has no benefit to the petitioner or at best a mere academic exercise.”

While Ize-Iyamu had met with the Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, and his Kogi State counterpart, Alhaji Yahaya Bello last wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC had congratulated Obaseki, adjudging the Election as being free and fair.