The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its highly anticipated judgment on Wednesday regarding the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo. The petition challenges the results of the September 21, 2024, governorship election, which declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.
Ighodalo and the PDP allege that the election was riddled with irregularities and have asked the tribunal to annul the victory of Okpebholo. The three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had previously reserved judgment after the parties involved submitted their final written addresses on March 3.
The tribunal will deliver its judgment on three petitions, marked EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024, concerning the disputed governorship election.
In a significant move, the tribunal admitted 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used during the election into evidence on January 31. The BVAS machines were provided by INEC’s Senior Technical Officer, Anthony Itodo, and were key to the petitioners’ case. The PDP had subpoenaed INEC to produce these devices from 133 polling units where the election results were disputed.
INEC had officially declared Okpebholo as the winner, securing 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo received 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo approached the tribunal, calling for the annulment of the results, citing alleged violations of the Electoral Act, 2022.
On the other hand, the APC and Okpebholo have asked the tribunal to dismiss the petitions, arguing that the allegations made by the petitioners lack merit and sufficient evidence to support their claims.
As the tribunal prepares to issue its judgment, all eyes are on the case, with political tension rising ahead of the ruling. The decision could have significant implications for the political landscape in Edo State.
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