Again, Edo Tribunal Rejects Another Party’s Petition Against Gov Okpebholo, Refuses To Order Fresh Polls

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja on Wednesday upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissing a petition filed by the Accord Party (AP) and its governorship candidate.

In a unanimous judgment, the three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi ruled that the petition lacked merit and failed to establish sufficient grounds to nullify the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

The tribunal rejected the petitioners’ request for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a fresh election, stating that the Accord Party and its candidate failed to discharge the burden of proof required by law.

According to the tribunal, the petitioners made “general and sweeping allegations” of electoral malpractices, including vote rigging, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, and corrupt practices. However, they failed to present credible evidence or specify polling units or wards where these alleged infractions occurred.

The panel described the claims as “vague” and “unsubstantiated,” holding that no reasonable cause of action was disclosed in the case.

It added that all preliminary objections filed to challenge the competence of the petition were upheld.

INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating the PDP’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who scored 247,655 votes. The Accord Party’s candidate polled a distant 252 votes.

Despite the poor showing at the polls, the Accord Party challenged the results, alleging widespread irregularities, including multiple thumbprinting, voter intimidation, and failure to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in several polling units.

Wednesday’s ruling follows a similar decision by the tribunal to dismiss a petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA), which also sought to annul Governor Okpebholo’s victory.

With both the Accord Party and Action Alliance petitions now dismissed, the tribunal is set to deliver its much-anticipated judgment on the remaining petition jointly filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who are seeking to be declared winners of the disputed election.