By Jefferson Ibiwale, Benin

The Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal on Thursday issued a bench warrant on the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, after it failed to obey an earlier subpoena requesting it to appear before the tribunal.

The tribunal had summoned the examination body to testify in the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for Oredo East constituency, Okoro Osadebamwen, to enable the defendants close their case.

In the petition, the Osadebamwen alleged that the school certificates presented by Osaigbovo Iyoha of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who was declared winner of the election by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, were not genuine.

However, Iyoha, who later appeared before the Tribunal insisted that the certificates he presented were genuine.

He told the tribunal that he gained admission into the Edo State University but as at the time he applied to get his certificate, the state government had changed the name of the institution to the Ambrose Alli University.

He added that the names on all the certificates belonged to him and that the name Tony on one of the documents was his baptismal name.

At the tribunal sitting, counsel to the Iyoha, Eghogho Enahoro, expressed sadness at the refusal of WAEC to appear before the tribunal to clear the air about the genuineness of the certificates.

However, counsel to Osadebamwen, Solomon Odiase, said that the defense counsel was only using the refusal of WAEC to appear before the tribunal as a ploy to delay justice.