Dennis Idahosa, the Deputy Governor of Edo State, has dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) petition regarding alleged over-voting in the September 21 governorship election, calling it baseless.
Speaking in Benin City after a tribunal session on Monday, Idahosa criticized the opposition for filing petitions without verifying the facts. He stated that results from areas affected by over-voting had already been canceled, making PDP’s claims irrelevant.
Explaining further, Idahosa said:
> “I have refused to comment on the proceeding of the tribunal before now. But today, I feel I have to address some wrong claims being made by the Peoples Democratic Party because the area contesting the result is my constituency.
> “In Unit 4, Ward 7, Usen, the results were cancelled due to over-voting, as required by law. Yet, PDP petitioned against these results without knowing they were never included in the form EC8A for the unit results and form EC8B for the ward.”
He noted that a witness from the All Progressives Congress (APC) confirmed in court that the canceled results were not counted.
> “So why will the PDP challenge results that do not exist? It shows they do not understand the process,” he said.
Citing the Electoral Act 2020 (as amended), he emphasized that over-voting leads to automatic result cancellation, removing the basis for disputes.
> “The onus is on PDP to prove their case, but their witnesses have contradicted themselves in court. Our legal team may not even need to call any witness.”
Idahosa accused PDP of using the tribunal as a media campaign rather than focusing on legal arguments. He expressed confidence in the judiciary to uphold the law.
> “I am here to clarify those facts, to let the world know that those units/wards that the PDP petitioned in Ovia and in other places in the state have been cancelled due to over-voting. So it did not reflect in the overall result,” he concluded.
