The hearing at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal was delayed on February 5, 2025, when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to present its witnesses.

The tribunal is hearing a petition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who are challenging the results of the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election. The election had declared Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.

During the hearing, INEC’s lawyer, Abdullahi Aliyu, informed the tribunal that the five witnesses for the defence were still on their way from Benin City and could not testify as planned.

To show they were prepared to defend the election results, INEC submitted three documents, including certified copies of election results and the 2022 election guidelines.

Despite this, Justice Wilfred Kpochi criticized INEC for its unpreparedness, stating that the entire day had been wasted.

Aliyu then requested an adjournment, arguing that INEC still had ten days to present its case and would need only one day to finish it.

The PDP’s lawyer, Adetunji Oyeyipo, did not oppose the documents but pointed out that these were the same papers they had previously used to argue that the election was flawed.

The tribunal adjourned until Thursday, February 6, for INEC to present its witnesses.

The PDP and Ighodalo are asking the tribunal to annul Okpebholo’s victory, claiming the election violated the Electoral Act, 2022, and that Okpebholo did not win the highest number of lawful votes.