Asue Ighodalo, PDP open petitions against Gov Okpebholo

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, has opened his case by tendering vital documents used in the election to support his petition.

Ighodalo, along with his party, the PDP, in a petition marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, is contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the election.

The erudite lawyer and financial expert claimed that the election was marred by widespread irregularities, culminating in the electoral umpire declaring the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the poll.

Ighodalo asserted that he scored the highest valid votes cast and questioned why INEC declared the Edo State Governor as the winner despite non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).

At the resumption of hearing on Friday, lead counsel for the petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, tendered from the bar the Certified True Copy (CTC) of Form EC8E (INEC’s final declaration result sheet of the poll) in support of the petitioners’ case.

Kenneth Mozia, who conducted the presentations on Oyeyipo’s behalf, also tendered the CTC of Form EC8D (Summary of results from Local Government Areas’ collation at the state level).

Documents tendered before the Tribunal by counsel for the petitioners also included Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state.

Additionally, CTCs of Forms EC8B (Ward Result Sheets) used for the election in the 192 wards in the state were tendered by Mozia, all in support of the petitioners’ case.

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The petitioners further tendered 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling unit result sheets).

While presenting before the court 318 CTCs of INEC’s Polling Unit Booklets, each containing Form EC25D, Mozia also tendered 58 CTCs of Form EC8A (IREV) in court.

However, lead counsel for INEC, Governor Monday Okpebholo, and the APC (1st to 3rd respondents), Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and D.C. Denwigwe, SAN (holding the brief for Emmanuel Ukala, SAN), objected to the admissibility of the documents.

The respondents’ counsel informed the court that they would provide reasons for their objections to the petitioners’ CTC documents during the final address stage of the petition.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi, leading the Tribunal, provisionally admitted all the documents tendered in evidence and marked them as exhibits.

“Learned counsel for the respondents shall state their reasons for objections at the address stage,” Justice Kpochi held.

Hearing on the petition continues tomorrow, Saturday, December 18, 2024, as the petitioners are expected to tender more documents in support of their case.