The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja yesterday upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The tribunal, in a unanimous decision by a three-member panel, said it found no reason to nullify the outcome of the governorship contest held in the state on September 21, 2024.

Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who delivered the lead judgement, dismissed as lacking in merit, a petition the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo, filed to challenge the declaration of governor Okpebholo as the valid winner of the gubernatorial poll.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, 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 result, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, alleging that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

In the petition, marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, it was alleged that Governor Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes cast at the election.

It was equally the contention of the petitioners that INEC failed to serialise and pre-record some of the sensitive materials deployed for the poll, a situation they said aided rigging of the election in favour of the APC and its candidate.

Specifically, PDP and its candidate alleged that there was wrong computation of results in 765 polling units in the state, even as they produced 19 witnesses that testified and tendered exhibits before the tribunal.

Among exhibits petitioners tendered before the tribunal were a total of 153 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVA, machines used in 133 polling units.

According to the petitioners, results from the polling units were manipulated at the collation centres, a situation they said resulted in over-voting, in Okpebholo’s favour.


https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/04/edo-okpebholo-wins-at-tribunal-ighodalo-heads-to-appeal-court/