The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
In its ruling on Wednesday, the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, found no merit in the petition challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024 governorship election. The tribunal affirmed that Okpebholo was duly elected and that the election complied with the Electoral Act 2022.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared that Okpebholo won with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who polled 247,655 votes. However, the PDP and Ighodalo approached the tribunal, alleging irregularities, including over-voting, manipulation of results, and improper handling of sensitive electoral materials.
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During the hearing, the petitioners presented 19 witnesses and tendered 153 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines from 133 polling units as evidence. They argued that results were manipulated at collation centers and that INEC’s failure to pre-record electoral materials compromised the election’s integrity.
In its judgment, the tribunal ruled that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to justify nullifying the election. The panel emphasized that the burden of proof lay on the petitioners, who could not rely on alleged weaknesses in the defense. The tribunal also noted that most of the witnesses presented gave hearsay evidence, and the lack of testimony from polling unit agents, presiding officers, or voters weakened their case.
The tribunal further rejected the PDP’s claims of over-voting, stating that none of the BVAS machines presented were switched on to demonstrate any discrepancies between the accredited voters and recorded votes. Even if the allegedly unlawful votes were deducted, the court held that Okpebholo would still have emerged victorious.
Following the ruling, Ighodalo’s legal team expressed dissatisfaction with the judgment and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.
Read Also: APC’s Okpebholo Declared Winner of Edo Governorship Election by INEC
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