The Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal has confirmed Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected governor of Edo State. The tribunal dismissed the petition filed by Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which challenged Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21, 2024 election.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, ruled that the election was validly conducted. The tribunal found that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to provide enough evidence to support their claims of electoral malpractice, including over-voting and incorrect result calculations.
The tribunal ruled that:
- The petitioners did not prove over-voting or call relevant witnesses.
- PDP and Ighodalo submitted documents but did not explain them properly to the tribunal.
- To prove over-voting, they needed to provide a voter register, BVAS, and Form EC8A, which they did not.
- No eyewitnesses were brought forward to confirm allegations of over-voting.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had earlier declared Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who received 247,655 votes.
PDP and Ighodalo argued that irregularities affected 765 polling units out of 4,519 and that results were altered at the ward and local government levels. Their lawyer, Ken Mozia (SAN), claimed that Form EC8A (polling unit results) was manipulated during collation. However, the tribunal ruled that these allegations were not backed by credible evidence.
With the tribunal’s decision, Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory remains valid, reaffirming the electoral process conducted by INEC.
