The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, wrapped up their case on Monday at the Edo Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, contesting the results of the election.
The petition was filed against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Governor Monday Okpebholo.
The PDP and Ighodalo are seeking to have the election results overturned.
Robert Emukpoeruo, the lead counsel for the petitioners, told the tribunal that the case had been concluded with the presentation of 19 witnesses.
In its defense, INEC presented five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines that were used during the election..
These were submitted by Anthony Itodo, a senior officer in INEC’s ICT Department. Although the respondents objected to the submission, the BVAS devices were admitted as evidence, with the respondents reserving their objections for the final written addresses.
Previously, the tribunal had accepted evidence showing that 148 BVAS devices were utilized in 133 polling units, where the petitioners are challenging the results.
The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, adjourned the hearing until February 5 for INEC to begin presenting its defense.
The Action Democratic Party (ADP) also closed its case after its chairman in Edo, Francis Obamwonyi, testified.
Obamwonyi expressed surprise at claims that his party’s candidate served as both the party’s candidate and the state collation agent. He also stated that the ADP had received 1,119 votes in the election, which INEC had declared APC’s Okpebholo the winner.
When questioned about the allegations of electoral malpractices such as non-compliance with the Electoral Act and intimidation, Obamwonyi clarified that these claims were based on reports from the party’s agents at various polling stations.
Prompt News reports that the tribunal has set February 6 for INEC to open its defense.
In reaction to the PDP’s closure of its case, Jarrett Tenebe, the APC Chairman in Edo, suggested that the move signified the PDP’s lack of a solid case.
He criticized the party for presenting only 19 witnesses despite challenging results in over 700 polling units. Tenebe argued that this signaled an abandonment of their case.
Tenebe expressed confidence that the APC’s defense would demonstrate that the party’s victory in the election was legitimate.
INEC had declared Governor Okpebholo of the APC the winner of the September 21, 2024 election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who received 247,655 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, the PDP and Ighodalo are requesting the tribunal to annul the results, claiming Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of valid votes and that the election was flawed due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
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