Tribunal to deliver judgment on Edo guber election

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its much-anticipated judgment on Wednesday in the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024 election.

The PDP has alleged widespread irregularities in the election and is seeking to have the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s declaration of Okpebholo as the winner nullified.

A three-member tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved judgment on March 3 after concluding hearings and listening to final arguments from both parties. During the proceedings, the tribunal admitted 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines as evidence, following PDP’s claims that results from 133 polling units were in dispute.

INEC had announced Okpebholo as the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, ahead of Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes. While the PDP maintains that the electoral process was flawed and in violation of the Electoral Act 2022, the APC and Okpebholo have urged the tribunal to dismiss the case, describing the allegations as baseless.

The tribunal’s ruling will determine whether Okpebholo’s victory stands or if further legal battles lie ahead in the high-stakes governorship dispute.