The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has adjourned the hearing of petitions filed by Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Friday, January 17, 2025.
The adjournment is to allow the parties involved to hold a pre-hearing meeting with the court registry regarding the presentation of documents by the petitioners.
The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, scheduled the pre-hearing meeting for Thursday, January 16, 2025, to discuss the process of tendering the petitioners’ documents. The petitioners’ lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo SAN, through his representative Ken Mozia, informed the court that they were prepared to present documents that had been carefully arranged to ensure a smooth process.
However, the counsels representing Governor Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, Emmanuel Ukala SAN, and Kanu Agabi SAN opposed the motion, arguing that the documents should have been filed with the court in advance before they could be considered as evidence.
The tribunal resumed hearing the petitions with testimony from 70-year-old Victoria Ogbebor, a unit agent for Bright Enabulele of the Accord Party (AP) during the election. Ogbebor testified that she served as a unit agent in Unit 32, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, and claimed that she may recognize the name of Enabulele, although she was unsure about his identity.
Additionally, two other witnesses were called to testify on behalf of the petitioners. Zakaria Wisdom Yahaya, who served as a polling unit agent in Polling Unit 28, Ward 8, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, testified about alleged irregularities in the election, including ballot stuffing. Under cross-examination by the respondents’ lawyers, Yahaya confirmed that he also served as a ward agent for the AP.
The third witness, Daisy Nwanchukwu, testified as a polling unit agent in Oredo Unit 9, Ward 3. Nwanchukwu stated that she was not given an agent card by INEC to serve as a polling agent.
The tribunal adjourned the continuation of the hearing to Thursday, January 16, 2025.
Following the adjournment, Asue Ighodalo, the PDP candidate, expressed confidence in the judiciary and reaffirmed his belief that the tribunal would help him reclaim his mandate. He also thanked the people of Edo State for their overwhelming support during the September 21, 2024, election.
“I want to use this opportunity to commend the people of Edo State for coming out en masse to vote for us on September 21, 2024, and for keeping faith with us,” Ighodalo said. “They have been very calm in the face of intimidation, harassment in the last three months in the state. We strongly believe that the judiciary will do the right thing, and we are looking forward to the outcome of the tribunal proceedings.”
As reported, seven petitions have been filed before the tribunal challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election. The petitioners include Ighodalo, PDP, Accord Party (AP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Recall that on September 22, 2024, INEC declared Governor Okpebholo, the APC candidate, a the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who received 247,274 votes.
