The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver judgment on Wednesday in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in the state.
The PDP and Ighodalo are contesting the declaration of Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They alleged that the election was marred by irregularities and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who secured 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied with the result, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, seeking to nullify INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as the winner.
A three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had earlier reserved judgment on March 3 after parties adopted their final written addresses. The tribunal will rule on three petitions, identified as EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.
During the proceedings, the tribunal admitted as evidence 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the disputed election. The devices were tendered by a Senior Technical Officer in INEC’s ICT Department, Anthony Itodo, following a subpoena by the petitioners to produce BVAS machines from 133 contested polling units.
Meanwhile, the APC and Okpebholo have urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions, describing them as baseless and arguing that the petitioners failed to substantiate their claims.
The judgment is highly anticipated as it will determine the fate of the election outcome in Edo State. (NAN)
