Edo Tribunal Rejects Bid To Nullify Gov Okpebholo’s Election

On Wednesday, the Abuja-based Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal refused to declare the election of All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Monday Okpebholo invalid.

In a unanimous decision, a three-member panel of the tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi equally refused to order the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct a fresh governorship poll in Edo State.

The tribunal held that the prayer, which was contained in a petition that was brought before it by the Accord Party, AP, and its gubernatorial candidate in the state, could not be granted as the petitioners failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on them by the law.

While striking out the petition for being incompetent, the panel noted that whereas the petitioners alleged that the governorship election held in the state on September 21, 2024, was invalid by reason of corrupt practices and non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, they, however, failed to adduce any credible evidence to establish the allegation.

According to the tribunal, while the petitioners made “general and sweeping allegations” against the outcome of the election, they failed to bring particulars of exact polling units or wards where the alleged widespread rigging and non-compliance occurred.

Describing some of the averments in the petition as “vague,” the tribunal held that allegations against Governor Okpebholo’s victory were not substantiated.

The tribunal said it found merit in all the preliminary objections that were filed to challenge the competence of the petition.

It will be recalled that while the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared that Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got a total of 247,655 votes, the candidate of the AP scored a total of 252 votes.

Dissatisfied with the result, AP and its candidate lodged the petition, insisting that the election was fraught with manifest irregularities they said included multiple thumbprinting, violence, intimidation, and harassment of voters, as well as alleged failure to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, machines in various polling units in the state.

The Justice Kochi-led panel held that the petition did not disclose any reasonable cause of action.

The tribunal had earlier dismissed another petition the Action Alliance, AA, also filed to nullify governor Okpebholo’s election.

With the two cases gone, the panel is set to decide the joint petition the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo, filed to be declared authentic winners of the disputed governorship contest.