Edo Governorship Election Tribunal to Deliver Judgment on PDP’s Petition Wednesday

The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its judgment on Wednesday regarding the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the results of the September 21, 2024 governorship election. The PDP and Ighodalo are contesting the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.

The petitioners allege that the election was marred by irregularities, claiming that the process did not comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved its judgment after the parties submitted their final written addresses on March 3.

The tribunal is considering three separate petitions, marked EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024. A key element in the proceedings was the admission of 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, which were used during the disputed election. These devices, presented by INEC’s senior ICT officer, Anthony Itodo, were admitted into evidence on January 31. The petitioners had subpoenaed INEC to produce the BVAS machines from 133 polling units where the election results are contested.

According to INEC’s declaration, Okpebholo of the APC received 291,667 votes, defeating his nearest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied with this outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo sought the tribunal’s intervention, asking it to annul the election results and declare them invalid.

In response, the APC and Okpebholo have asked the tribunal to dismiss the petitions, asserting that the petitioners have failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims of election malpractice. The tribunal’s judgment is eagerly awaited as it will determine the outcome of the electoral dispute.