The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal is set to deliver its judgment on Wednesday, April 2, regarding the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the results of the September 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
The PDP and Ighodalo are contesting the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner. They claim that the election was plagued by irregularities.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had reserved judgment on March 3 after both parties presented their final written submissions.
The tribunal will issue its ruling on three petitions identified as EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.
On January 31, the tribunal admitted 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the disputed election as evidence. These devices were presented by Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in INEC’s ICT Department.
The petitioners had subpoenaed INEC to provide the BVAS machines used in 133 polling units where election results are contested.
INEC declared Okpebholo of the APC as the winner, with a total of 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP, who received 247,655 votes.
Unsatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo turned to the tribunal, requesting it to nullify INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo and the APC as victors of the election.
The petitioners argue that the election was invalid due to alleged violations of the Electoral Act, 2022. Meanwhile, the APC and Okpebholo have asked the tribunal to dismiss the petitions, asserting that the petitioners have failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims.