The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, has rejected a petition seeking to nullify the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, a three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi declined to order the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh governorship election in Edo State. The tribunal ruled that the petition, filed by the Accord Party (AP) and its gubernatorial candidate, lacked merit and failed to meet the legal threshold required to overturn the election results.
The petitioners had alleged that the September 21, 2024, election was marred by corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. However, the tribunal held that they failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate their claims. It noted that the petition contained “general and sweeping allegations” without specifying polling units or wards where the purported irregularities occurred.
“The petitioners failed to discharge the burden of proof placed on them by law,” the tribunal stated, describing some of their claims as “vague.” Consequently, the panel upheld all preliminary objections challenging the competence of the petition and dismissed it as incompetent.
INEC had declared that Governor Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes. The Accord Party candidate received only 252 votes.
The AP and its candidate had argued that the election was compromised due to alleged multiple thumbprinting, voter intimidation, and failure to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in several polling units. However, the tribunal found no substantial proof of these claims.
Earlier, the tribunal had also dismissed a similar petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) challenging Okpebholo’s victory. Meanwhile, as of the time of this report, the panel was set to deliver its verdict on a joint petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo, who are seeking to be declared the authentic winners of the election.
Governor Okpebholo’s legal team has welcomed the ruling, describing it as a victory for democracy, while the Accord Party is yet to comment on the decision.
