The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024, governorship poll in Edo State.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday in Abuja, the three-man tribunal dismissed the petition filed by Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ruling that the election was validly conducted.
Justice Wilfred Kpochi, the tribunal chairman, stated that the petitioners failed to prove allegations of over-voting and did not present relevant witnesses. He also noted that Ighodalo and the PDP merely submitted documents without properly linking them to their claims.
The law requires the tendering of the voter register, BVAS, and EC8A forms to substantiate over-voting, which the petitioners failed to do. The tribunal also pointed out that no eyewitnesses were called to testify on the alleged irregularities, making the claims unconvincing.
INEC declared Monday Okpebholo the winner after he secured 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo challenged the result, citing irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws.
Their case relied on claims of electoral malpractice in 765 out of 4,519 polling units. Their lawyer, Ken Mozia (SAN), argued that the petition should focus on the impact of these irregularities rather than just their percentage.
The petitioners also alleged discrepancies in vote figures at various collation levels, but the tribunal found their claims against Monday Okpebholo’s victory as insufficient to overturn the election outcome.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
