In a stunning turn of events at the Edo 2024 Governorship Election Tribunal, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has failed to present any witnesses in its defense against allegations of collusion with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the election in favor of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
This shocking development unfolded when INEC’s legal counsel moved to close its case without calling a single witness, a motion that the Tribunal accepted. As a result, INEC is now relying solely on cross-examinations and the arguments of APC and Okpebholo’s legal teams. Legal experts have raised concerns that this strategy could backfire and leave the electoral body vulnerable.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has mounted a vigorous challenge to the election results, accusing INEC of orchestrating widespread irregularities and vote manipulation. Relying on the 2022 Electoral Act, the PDP’s legal team has focused on documentary evidence rather than oral testimony.
Crucial provisions of the Act, including Section 137, which gives priority to documentary evidence over oral testimony, and Section 73(2), which mandates the nullification of results from polling units where ballot paper and BVAS serial numbers were not pre-recorded, form the foundation of the PDP’s case.
The Tribunal has already admitted significant BVAS machine data as evidence—data that the PDP claims exposes over-voting and other discrepancies in the declared results.
Witnesses for the PDP, including local government agents and an expert (PW12), have provided detailed accounts of systemic manipulation during result collation.
Independent monitors such as the Athena Centre and TAP Initiative have corroborated these claims, further damaging INEC’s credibility.
By choosing not to call witnesses, INEC appears to be taking a major risk, leaving its defense in the hands of APC and Governor Okpebholo’s legal teams. Analysts suggest that this decision could backfire, as INEC must now contend with its own certified records and BVAS data, which the PDP argues directly contradict the declared results.
This development follows an undercover investigation by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), which alleged that INEC was complicit in inflating votes for the APC. Combined with the PDP’s evidence and legal precedents, this paints a troubling picture of INEC’s involvement in the disputed election.
