By Ikhili Monday EBALU, Benin City

 The PDP  candidate at the September 28 2016  Edo state governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu took to the witness box today, to testify in favor of the PDP and himself  in the petition they both filed before the Elections petitions tribunal sitting in Benin city.

 He is one of the four hundred and fifty witnesses which counsel to the PDP, Mr Roland Otaru, SAN told reporters that they will be calling to the tribunal to challenge the declaration by the INEC of the APC and its governorship candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki as winners of the said election. 

 After subscribing to the relevant oath, he told the tribunal that the right of the PDP and himself to present the petition is borne out of the fact that the PDP is a registered political party while he was the the party's candidate, and has a right to have been returned or elected at the said election.

 He said the petition was borne out of the fact that he and the PDP as a registered party which participated in the election and sponsored him filed the petition dissatisfied with the conduct in many places that he set in the petition and consequently with the INEC results. 

 The PDP candidate also said that he adopts his written testimony which read in part that the second defendant , Mr Godwin Obaseki was not duly elected by the majority of the votes in the election.

 In the testimony he also said that the election of Obaseki is invalid by means of noncompliance with the provisions of the Electoral act 2010 as amended and by reason of corrupt practices.

 The PDP candidate acknowledged that he is aware that there are 192 wards in Edo state and 2627 polling units and that in Akoko-Edo local government alone there are ten wards.

 In his testimony He said that the election in Akoko-edo was characterized and bedeviled by lack of accreditation/ improper accreditation, over voting and specifically the number of accredited voters are less than the total votes cast.

 For Ward one in the local government he attested that the first respondent gave the APC a total of 1759 votes and the PDP 1241 votes and that for the Polling Unit 001 in the area, INEC gave the APC 126 votes and the PDP 86 votes while the total accredited voters was 235 and the total number of ballot papers was 238.

 He said since the ballot papers exceeded the number of accredited voters in the polling unit, it is an anomaly and as such the result of the unit should be declared null and void.

 After Ize-Iyamu,  the next witness to take the stand was Mr Anthony Lawani Omeiza from Igarra in Akoko-Edo local government area of the state, who also said he stood by his written deposition. 

 As at press time , Omeiza was examined and cross examined by counsels to the petitioners, i.e PDP and Ize-Iyamu and those of the respondents namely INEC, the APC and Mr  Obaseki before the tribunal adjourned for break to resume later in the day