The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its judgment on Wednesday in the case filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State.
The petition contests the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) decision to declare Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, citing alleged irregularities that marred the electoral process.
A three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had earlier reserved judgment on March 3 after all parties presented their final arguments.
The panel is expected to rule on three separate petitions marked EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.
During the proceedings, the tribunal admitted into evidence 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines, which were used during the contested election.
The devices were submitted by Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in INEC’s ICT Department, following a subpoena by the petitioners.
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INEC’s final results showed that Okpebholo of the APC secured 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Ighodalo, who polled 247,655 votes.
However, dissatisfied with the declaration, the PDP and Ighodalo approached the tribunal, urging it to nullify Okpebholo’s victory on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022.
The petitioners argue that the election process was compromised in 133 polling units, prompting their request for INEC to produce the BVAS machines as evidence.
On the other hand, the APC and Okpebholo have dismissed the claims as baseless, insisting that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient proof to substantiate their allegations.
With the tribunal’s judgment set to be delivered, political stakeholders and observers are keenly awaiting the outcome, which could significantly impact the state’s political landscape.