The Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has announced its relocation from Benin City to Abuja in what may not be unconnected to clashes by supporters of the ruling APC and the opposition PDP.
In a notice dated January 24, 2025, signed by the tribunal secretary, Mu’azu Ibrahim Bagudu, parties to the case were informed of the relocation.
The notice read in part: “I am directed to notify all parties that the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has been relocated to Abuja at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Airport Road, Abuja, effective from Monday, 27th January, 2025.”
It was learnt that violent attacks, persistent intimidation and disruptions by political thugs prompted the relocation.
Thugs had disrupted tribunal sessions on multiple occasions, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity inside its High Court premises location.
In one incident, a lone gunman wearing a campaign T-shirt and cap, stormed a street adjacent the court, chanting provocative slogans in support of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr. Asue Akintunde Ighodalo, and fired sporadic shots into the air.
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