The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed the petition filed by the Accord Party, which alleged non-compliance in the election process and sought the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as Governor of the state.
The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpichi, delivered four rulings on the petition.
In the first ruling, the tribunal stated that the Accord Party failed to provide sufficient evidence to support its claims of non-compliance, ruling against the petitioners.
The second ruling addressed the Accord Party’s allegation that Governor Okpebholo did not receive the required number of lawful votes. The tribunal resolved this motion in favor of Okpebholo, affirming the validity of the votes he received.
In the third and fourth rulings, the tribunal dismissed the Accord Party’s request to have their candidate declared the winner of the election. The panel referenced past Court of Appeal and Supreme Court decisions, which emphasized that relevant facts must be clearly pleaded for such a request to be granted.
The tribunal also criticized the Accord Party’s petition for lacking clarity and failing to properly state the facts of the case. As a result, the motions were struck out for being vague and insufficient.
This ruling follows a similar decision where the tribunal dismissed a petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and Adekunle Omoaje against Governor Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC), deeming it frivolous and lacking merit.
