Gunshots rang out near the venue of the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, on Wednesday morning, triggering widespread panic.
Lawyers, litigants, politicians, and reporters scrambled for safety, fearing stray bullets.
Fortunately, the swift intervention of heavily armed security personnel restored order, enabling the tribunal session at the Edo High Court Complex on Sapele Road, Benin, to proceed.
Edo APC Chairman Jarret Tenebe condemned the incident, calling the shootings profoundly disturbing and unacceptable.
“The tribunal is a sacred space where justice should be dispensed impartially,” Tenebe stated. “Any act of violence within its confines undermines the very foundation of our legal system and jeopardises the safety of everyone present.”
He emphasised that violence is never an acceptable means of resolving disputes, regardless of political affiliation, urging all to denounce the shootings in the strongest terms.
The APC chairman also asserted that violence has no place in a civil society, insisting that those responsible for this egregious act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception.
Senator Monday Okpebholo, of the APC, who won the governorship election on September 21, 2024, and was inaugurated on November 12 of last year, represents Edo Central Senatorial District.
Among the seven of the 18 political parties that filed petitions at the tribunal were the 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), all seeking to have their candidates declared the winners of the fiercely contested poll.
Details to follow…
