The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, upheld the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 2024 election.
The tribunal dismissed three separate petitions filed by opposition parties challenging Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21 governorship poll.
In a series of judgments delivered on Wednesday, the three-man panel, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, in unanimous judgements affirmed the victory of Okpebholo and dismissed all petitions against him.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has rejected the tribunal’s verdict and vowed to challenge the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The three political parties that filed the petitions are the Accord party (AP), Action Alliance (AA) and the People’s Democratic party ( PDP).
INEC had 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.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, the PDP , AA and AP and their candidates approached the tribunal, praying it to nullify INEC’s declaration of the APC and Okpebholo as winners of the contest.
According to the PDP’ petition, results from the polling units were manipulated at the collation centres.
While AP and its candidate, Dr Bright Onablele 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.
Similarly, Adekunle Omoaje had in the petition asked the Tribunal to nullify the declaration of Okpebholo and APC as winners of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC as illegal, unlawful, unconditional and null and void on non compliance with the Electoral Act.
He also alleged corruption and that Okpebholo and APC did not win a majority of lawful votes in the election.
Omoaje also alleged that AA was not allowed to nominate a lawful governorship candidate for the election having not signed the nomination form as the National Chairman of the party.
Earlier in its judgement the tribunal equally refused to order the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to conduct a fresh governorship election in Edo state as requested by AP.
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 occured.
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.
Similarly, the tribunal dismissed another petition the Action Alliance, AA, also filed to nullify governor Okpebholo’s election.
It was held that Adekunle Rufai Omoaje who filed the joint petition has no locus standi to Institute the case.
Among others, the Tribunal held that Omoaje did not participate in the governorship election and as such has no power to question the validity of the election.
The Tribunal also held that Omoaje’s grouse against the election was that he was not recognized as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance for the purpose of nominating candidate for the poll but it was held that his claims have no basis in the Electoral Act 2022.
Omoaje had in the petition asked the Tribunal to declare the declaration of Okpebholo and APC as winners of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC as illegal, unlawful, a nullity and void on non compliance with the Electoral Act.
On their parts the the APC through the deputy governor of Edo state, Denis Idahosa hail the judgment of the tribunal.
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