The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, have formally closed their case before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, after presenting 19 witnesses to support their petition.
The PDP and Ighodalo are challenging Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election.
Specifically, they allege that the election results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were fundamentally flawed and unreliable.
At the resumed hearing, the petitioners’ lead counsel, Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, informed the tribunal that they had concluded their case.
Notably, the three-member tribunal panel is chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi and includes two other respected justices.
Meanwhile, this development followed INEC’s submission of five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used during the election.
Furthermore, Mr. Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer from INEC’s ICT Department, tendered the BVAS machines as evidence.
Although the respondents objected to the admission of the devices, the tribunal accepted them, reserving arguments for final written addresses.
Earlier, the tribunal had admitted 148 BVAS machines from 133 disputed polling units challenged by the PDP in their petition.
Consequently, the tribunal scheduled the next session for INEC to open its defence tomorrow, continuing the legal proceedings.
According to INEC’s official results, Okpebholo of the APC secured 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP with 247,655 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo approached the tribunal, seeking to nullify INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo as winner.
In their petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, they argue the election was invalid due to widespread non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Moreover, they claim Okpebholo did not win the majority of lawful votes cast during the election across several polling units.
Additionally, the petitioners maintain that the BVAS data will reveal discrepancies, undermining the credibility of the declared results.
The tribunal proceedings continue amid tight security and public interest, as stakeholders keenly await the outcome of this legal challenge.
