Tribunal affirms Okpebholo as Edo state governor

The three-member of Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday affirmed Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as duly elected Governor of Edo State in the September 21, 2024 poll.

Penpushing reports that the tribunal which sat and delivered its judgement in Abuja subsequently dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Asue Ighodalo against the election of Okpebholo

The Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal affirmed the governor’s victory in a unanimous judgement, stressing that the petitioners failed to prove their allegations of over-voting and non-compliance with the electoral law.

Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that Ighodalo and his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had sued the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC), alleging that the election was marred by irregularities.

The tribunal earlier, in separate judgements, dismissed the petitions filed by the Action Alliance and the Accord Party to challenge Okpebholo’s victory, while it is recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival in the election, Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes.

Penpushing also reports that Okpebholo and his running mate, Dennis Idahosa, were on November 12, 2024 sworn in as the Governor and Deputy Governor of Edo State, respectively.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, approached the tribunal for redress, insisting that the Governor did not win with the majority of lawful votes cast.

Penpushing reports that the petitioners urged the tribunal to nullify the electoral commission’s declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Okpebholo as winners of the election, alleged, among other irregularities during the election, non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, particularly in the area of vote count.

The petitioners made the tribunal to subpoena commission to produce 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System Machines (BVAS) machines that were used in 133 polling units where election results are being disputed.

Penpushing further reports that about 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System Machines (BVAS) that were used at the governorship poll were eventually admitted by the tribunal in evidence.

The legal team of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Okpebholo, however, urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions for being baseless and lacking in merit, arguing that the petitioners had failed to substantiate the allegations of invalid poll in their petitions.

Penpushing also reports that the tribunal in its verdict on the petition of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate held that it is the duty of a petitioner to prove its electoral malpractice allegations against electoral commission, and not the other way round.

The tribunal on the petitioners’ allegations that the number of votes cast was greater than the number of registered voters in disputed polling units, agreed with the defendants that the petitioners failed to present polling unit agents and presiding officers to prove the allegations.

Penpushing reports that the tribunal stated that it was clear that the documents tendered from the bar (by the petitioners) were dumped on the tribunal without any competent witness” to substantiate the claims of over-voting and electoral non-compliance.

‘These witnesses (comprising local government agents and others) are total strangers. The failure of the petitioners (PDP and Ighodalo) in this case to call polling unit agents and registered voters is fatal to their case, while stressing that eyewitness accounts were required to prove electoral non-compliance’.

Penpushing further reports that the tribunal equally held that the petitioners merely dumped the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System Machines (BVAS) on the tribunal without calling competent witnesses to turn them on and use them to demonstrate their claims of overvoting.

The tribunal dismissed the petitioner’s petition for failing to prove its case against the governor’s election and also dismissed and struck out the petitions filed by the Action Alliance (AA) party and Accord party (A) against the Edo state governorship poll.

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