The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal will deliver its judgment on Wednesday in the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
The PDP and Ighodalo are contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. They allege that the election was fraught with irregularities and have asked the tribunal to nullify the results.
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved judgment on March 3 after all parties submitted their final written addresses. The tribunal is set to rule on three petitions with case numbers: EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.
In the course of proceedings, the tribunal admitted into evidence 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used during the election. These devices were presented by Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in INEC’s ICT Department, following a subpoena from the petitioners. The PDP and Ighodalo had demanded the production of BVAS data from 133 polling units where they claim election results were manipulated.
According to INEC’s official results, Okpebholo of the APC won the election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who polled 247,655 votes. However, the PDP insists the election should be annulled, citing alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
The APC and Okpebholo, in their defense, have urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions, arguing that the claims are unsubstantiated.
The tribunal’s ruling on Wednesday is expected to be a significant moment in Edo’s political landscape, determining the validity of the governorship election results and potentially reshaping the state’s leadership.
