Tony Osauzo, Benin

Lawmaker, representing Ovia Federal Constituency of Edo State in the House of Representatives on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dennis Idahosa, yesterday denied renouncing his Nigeria citizenship.

He made the denial during his defence at the National and state House of Assemblies Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Benin, in an election petition filed by Omosede Igbinedion of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Igbinedion is challenging Idahosa’s victory at the polls.

At the resumed sitting yesterday, Idahosa told the three-man panel of justices that he had never renounced his citizenship of the country, insisting that he remains a citizen of Nigeria by birth and a board member of the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGW), an establishment under the Federal Ministry of Environment, from where he resigned on November 5, 2018, about 90 days to the elections.

Similarly, four other witnesses affirmed that the poll was rancour-free as there were no disruptions from the wards, polling unit and collation centre at Ugbogui village in Ovia South West.

Led in evidence by his counsel, Enahoro Ahhomo, who represented the lead counsel, Ken Mozia (SAN), Idahosa also reiterated that the National Assembly election for Ovia federal constituency was free, fair and peaceful in all the wards and polling units.

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“I am a proud Nigerian and I came to this earth as a Nigerian and I will leave this earth as a Nigerian.

“There was nowhere and time I told anybody that I renounced the nationality of Nigeria. The election in Ovia federal constituency of Edo State was free, fair and there was no record of violence; it was peaceful.

“I voted in Ward 2, unit 3 in Ovia South West Local Government Area of Edo State. I was in my unit on the day of election,” he said.

One of the witnesses, Edokpayi Osagie, a collation agent from Ugbogui village, said he was accredited with a smart card reader and voters register and that he voted in that election while others voted after passing through the same process of accreditation.

“All the results were handed over to me at the polling units by the agents in Ward 8, results were collected at Igbinoba Primary School, Ugbogui, the headquarters of the ward and the unit results were collated at Ugbogui. There was no disruption, no quarrel and no disagreement.

“Michael Ogiamen and Oyo Idahosa who are members of the APC were not at the collation centre and they did not switch off any generator,” he added.