The Edo State governorship election petition tribunal sitting in Abuja will on Wednesday deliver judgment in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State.
The petitioners are challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the poll.
They alleged that the election was marred by irregularities.
INEC declared that Okpebholo scored 291,667 votes to defeat Ighodalo, who got 247,655 votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal to nullify the INEC’s declaration.
The petitioners, among other things, contended that the governorship election was invalid because of alleged non-compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
However, APC and Okpebholo urged the tribunal to dismiss the petitions for being baseless.
The respondents declared that the petitioners failed to substantiate the allegations in their petitions.
The three-member panel headed by Justice Wilfred Kpochi had, on March 3, reserved judgment in the petition after parties adopted their final written addresses.
The tribunal will deliver judgment in the three petitions marked: EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024, EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, and EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024.
The tribunal on January 31 admitted in evidence 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System Machines (BVAS) used during the conduct of the poll.
The electronic devices were tendered by a Senior Technical Officer in the ICT Department of INEC, Anthony Itodo, and admitted in evidence by the panel.
The petitioners had subpoenaed INEC to produce the BVAS machines used in 133 polling units where election results are being disputed.
© Ripples Nigeria