The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has struck out the petition filed by the Accord Party (AP) and its governorship candidate challenging the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a unanimous judgment delivered on Wednesday, the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, dismissed the petition as incompetent, ruling that the petitioners failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate their claims of electoral malpractice.
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The tribunal noted that while the petitioners alleged corrupt practices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act in the September 21, 2024 election, they did not present specific details of polling units or wards where the alleged irregularities occurred. The panel described many of their assertions as “vague” and held that none of the allegations against Governor Okpebholo’s victory were substantiated.
Consequently, the tribunal upheld all the preliminary objections challenging the competence of the petition and refused to annul the election or order a fresh governorship poll in the state.
INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner of the election after securing the majority of lawful votes cast. However, the Accord Party and its candidate filed a petition citing multiple thumbprinting, voter intimidation, violence, and the alleged failure to use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in certain polling units.
The Justice Kpochi-led panel ruled that the petition did not disclose any reasonable cause of action and dismissed it accordingly.
With this ruling, the tribunal has now dismissed two petitions against Okpebholo’s victory and is set to proceed with the joint petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who are seeking to be declared the rightful winners of the election.
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