Tribunal Upholds Governor Okpebholo’s Election Victory In Edo State.
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has dismissed a petition seeking to nullify the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, also rejected a request for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh governorship election in the state.
The petition was filed by the Accord Party (AP) and its governorship candidate, who alleged that the election, held on 21 September 2024, was marred by corruption and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. However, the tribunal ruled that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate their claims.
While striking out the case, the panel noted that the petitioners made “general and sweeping allegations” of electoral malpractice but did not specify the polling units or wards where the alleged irregularities occurred. The tribunal described parts of the petition as “vague” and concluded that the accusations against Governor Okpebholo’s victory were unproven.
The tribunal upheld all preliminary objections challenging the petition’s competence, reinforcing INEC’s declaration that Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes. The Accord Party’s candidate finished with a total of 252 votes.
The petitioners had cited alleged multiple thumbprinting, voter intimidation, violence, and failure to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines in some polling units. However, the tribunal found no credible evidence to support these claims.
This ruling follows the tribunal’s earlier dismissal of a similar petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) challenging Okpebholo’s election.
At the time of this report, the tribunal was preparing to rule on a separate petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who are seeking to be declared the rightful winners of the governorship contest.
