The Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has upheld Senator Monday Okpebholo’s election as the Governor of Edo State.
A three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the results of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
In its ruling, the Tribunal concluded that the petitioners failed to provide competent witnesses to substantiate their claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Justice Kpochi, delivering the lead judgment, stated that allegations of non-compliance must be convincingly proven.
He noted that the petitioners’ failure to bring in polling unit officers, presiding officers, or even voters as witnesses significantly weakened their case.
The Tribunal observed that most of the 19 witnesses presented by the PDP relied on hearsay during their testimony.
Justice Kpochi also criticized the PDP for attempting to rely on Section 137 of the Electoral Act to submit documents without offering sufficient evidence to support their claims.
He emphasized that it was not the Tribunal’s responsibility to review the documents provided by the petitioners.
Additionally, the Tribunal pointed out that the BVAS machines submitted by the petitioners remained inactive, as it was not the Tribunal’s role to assess the data stored in those machines.
In a unanimous decision, the Tribunal reiterated that to prove allegations of overvoting, as claimed by Ighodalo and the PDP, it was necessary to present the voters’ register, BVAS data, polling unit results, or Forms EC8A.
As a result, the Tribunal dismissed the petition of Asue Ighodalo, finding it without merit.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes.
The PDP challenged the results from 765 out of the 4,519 polling units in the state, accusing the election of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, as well as improper vote computation, failure to serialize electoral materials, and alleged overvoting.
