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The Edo Governorship Election Tribunal was in Wednesday disrupted by gunshots, which were fired near the venue by suspected thugs.
The incident, which occurred during the sitting of the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led, three-member tribunal on sent lawyers, litigants, politicians, and reporters scrambling for safety.
The hoodlums stormed the tribunal shouting, “Give us our mandate” while shooting sporadically.
There have been accusations and counter-accusstions between the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over who sent the thugs.
Jarret Tenebe, the APC Chairman in Edo, in a statement, accused PDP supporters of being responsible for the incident and described it as a “deeply disturbing and unacceptable act of violence that undermined the sanctity of the judicial process.”
He noted that the tribunal was a sacred space where justice was 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,” he added.
“Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable.
“We must all condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.
“Violence has no place in a civilised society, and those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception,” the chairman said.
However, the PDP in the state countered in a statement and washed its hands off the incident.
Dr Tony Aziegbemi, the PDP state chairman, described the shooting as yet another in the series of clandestine efforts by the APC to frustrate the legal process and tarnish the image of the opposition party.
“The APC in Edo, who are clearly scared of justice, have continued their devious ploy to frustrate our party from reclaiming the mandate duly given to us by the good people of Edo in the last governorship election at the tribunal,” Aziegbemi said.
“They have now resorted to deploying thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process while pointing accusing fingers at our party.”
