Gunshots fired near the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal venue on Wednesday morning sparked widespread panic.
Lawyers, litigants, politicians, and reporters ran to safety to avoid stray bullets.
Fortunately, heavily armed security personnel responded quickly, restoring calm and enabling the tribunal to continue without a hitch at the Edo High Court Complex on Sapele Road, Benin.
Reacting to the incident, the Edo APC Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, strongly denounced the shooting, labeling it as deeply disturbing and utterly unacceptable.
Tenebe said: “The tribunal is a sacred space, where justice is meant to be administered impartially. Any act of violence within its walls undermines the very foundation of our legal system and threatens the safety of all involved.
“Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable. We must all condemn the shootings in the strongest possible terms.”
He also said violence had no place in a civilized society, while declaring that those responsible for the heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception.
Persecondnews recalls that Sen. Monday Okpebholo, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), formerly representing Edo Central Senatorial District, emerged victorious in the Edo State governorship election held on September 21, 2024.
He was inaugurated as the governor on November 12, 2024.
Okpebholo won the election with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Dr. Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), who secured 247,274 votes.
Seven of 18 political parties that participated in the election, including Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Accord (A), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), and Action Alliance (AA), have filed petitions at the tribunal, demanding that their candidates be declared winners of the keenly-contested poll.
Details later……..
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