2023: Edo PDP Chieftain Battles INEC Over Esan North-East Constituency Ticket

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Moses Ebosetale, has said that he is the authentic candidate of the party for Esan North-East Constituency 1 in the Edo State House of Assembly ahead of the 2023 general elections as against Omokhegbe Caleb, whose name appeared on the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Edo State capital on the controversy surrounding the candidacy of the State constituency, counsel to Ebosetale, Luke Okun, said there was a court order that confirmed his client and others as the authentic candidate of the PDP in the area in suit No: FHC/B/CS/78/2022 but that he was shocked that while the INEC complied with the order by publishing the names of other plaintiffs in the suit, his client was replaced.

He said, “On our part, we are surprised that till now INEC has not published the name of our client, Mr. Moses Ebosetale, because the court had ruled. There was a case that was filed at the Federal High Court, and it is no longer news that we are aware that the Edo State PDP is factionalised; it is two factions, and when these two factions went to court to determine as to who are the authentic candidates to represent PDP in the forthcoming elections.

“We’re dismayed that INEC has published the names of these plaintiffs who the court has said they are the authentic candidates but we are surprised that Moses Ebosetale’s name is not there and the funniest thing is that they now used the name of the number 20 defendant who is a judgment debtor to replace Moses Ebosetale.

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“I have not seen this kind of thing before, where somebody has a judgment in his favour, you are now bringing in somebody else, whose judgment was against to represent the same who has judgment, this is the situation.”

He added that the electoral umpire was aware of the court order because “INEC was duly represented in this matter, INEC has counsel in this matter and they are very much aware of this judgment. We have notified them, we have written series of letter to INEC here in Benin and INEC in Abuja informing them of this judgment in favour of our client and the need to reflect the name of our client, Moses Ebosetale, on their portal, so that he can campaign for his election for the Esan North-East Constituency 1.”