Edo Governorship Election Tribunal to Deliver Judgment Wednesday in PDP’s Challenge Against APC Victory

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The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal will on Wednesday deliver its judgment in the petition 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 declaration of Sen. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging widespread irregularities during the poll.

A three-member tribunal panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved judgment on March 3 after all parties adopted their final written arguments. The tribunal will rule on three consolidated petitions marked: EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.

During the proceedings, the tribunal admitted 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as evidence on January 31. These devices, used in the disputed election, were presented by INEC’s Senior Technical Officer in the ICT Department, Anthony Itodo, following a subpoena by the petitioners. The PDP and Ighodalo had requested the BVAS machines from 133 polling units where they alleged electoral malpractices.

INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, while Ighodalo trailed with 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied, the PDP and its candidate urged the tribunal to overturn the results, citing violations of the Electoral Act 2022.

In response, the APC and Okpebholo dismissed the petitions as unsubstantiated, urging the tribunal to reject the claims for lack of merit. The final verdict will determine whether the election results stand or are nullified.