BY GABRIEL       ENOGHOLASE

BENIN—EDO State Local Government Elections Appeals Tribunal has adjourned till Monday, hearing of an application by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and its candidate in the April 20, 2014 Esan North-East Local Government Area election, Mr. John Yakubu, seeking to disqualify two judges from the panel.

The three-member Appeal Tribunal, was recently constituted by the state Chief Judge with Justices E. Ikponwen, E.A. Edigin, and J.I Acha, to hear the appeal by the party and Yakubu over the ruling of the lower tribunal, that the Edo State Independent Electoral Commission, EDSIEC, conduct a rerun election for the council.

PDP and its candidate are asking the two judges, namely, Justices E.A. Edigin and J.I Acha to disqualify themselves from further participating as members of the appeal tribunal and or adjudicating over the appeal and cross appeal involving them.

On the grounds for seeking the judges’ disqualification, the PDP counsel, Mr Kingsley Obamogie, told the tribunal that it was because of previous animosity among the party, its chieftains and members on the one hand, and  Justices E.A. Edigin and J.I Acha, on the other.

PDP had earlier in a petition dated March 24, 2014, to the Chief Judge of Edo State, demanded the removal of the judges for reasons of judicial indiscretion.