Edo PDP rejects tribunal’s verdict, heads to Court of Appeal

The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the judgment of the election petition tribunal.

The Edo election tribunal in Abuja on Wednesday upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo and dismissed the PDP and Asue Ighodalo’s petitions.

In a statement by Mr Tony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, said its candidate was duly elected by the majority of the voters in the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

Aziegbemi said the PDP was certain that it sufficiently proved its case before the tribunal.

He said, “The Edo Election Petition Tribunal has delivered its ruling on our petition, challenging the result of the governorship election held September 21, 2024. Although we hold the judiciary in the highest esteem as a political party and respect the judgment, we completely disagree with the decision of the tribunal.

“We believe, without any doubt, that our candidate, in the election, was duly elected by the majority of the voters in that election. We are also certain that we sufficiently proved our case before the tribunal.”

Aziegbemi added, “It is on the back of this conviction that we call on all our members to quickly rise up from the ashes of this temporary setback as we take our matter to the appellate courts.

“As firm believers in the rule of law and the ultimate superiority of right over wrong. We call on all our supporters to keep hope alive as we explore all available democratic means of enthroning the will of the people of Edo.”

The three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi passed its verdict in a unanimous judgment, stressing that the petitioners failed to prove its allegations of over-voting and electoral non-compliance.

The tribunal held that it was the duty of a petitioner to prove its electoral malpractice allegations against INEC and not the other way around.

On the petitioners’ allegations that the number of votes cast was greater than the number of registered voters in disputed polling units, the judge agreed with the defendants that the petitioners failed to present polling unit agents and presiding officers to prove it.

The judge said it was “clear to us that the documents tendered from the bar(by the petitioners) were dumped on the tribunal without any competent witness” to substantiate the claims of over-voting and electoral non-compliance.

“These witnesses (presented by the petitioners comprising local government agents and others) are total strangers,” the judge stressed. “The failure of the petitioners (PDP and Ighodalo) in this case to call polling unit agents and registered voters is fatal to their case.”

The judge also faulted the PDP for dumping the BVAS machines before the tribunal without calling competent witnesses to turn them on and demonstrate its claims of over-voting.