Ighodalo, PDP opens tribunal case against Okpebholo, tenders evidence
The Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election, Asue Ighodalo, opened his case at the election tribunal on Friday by tendering key documents to support his petition.
Ighodalo alleged that the election was riddled with widespread irregularities, leading to the Independent National Electoral Commission declaring All Progressives Congress candidate, Monday Okpebholo, the winner.
He maintained that he scored the highest number of valid votes cast and questioned INEC’s decision to declare Okpebholo the winner despite alleged noncompliance with the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
During the hearing, the lead counsel for the petitioners, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), submitted Certified True Copies of several critical documents, including Form EC8E (INEC’s final result declaration sheet) and Form EC8D (summary of results from Local Government Area collation).
Other documents tendered before the Tribunal by Counsel to the petitioners are Certified True Copies of Form EC8Cs, covering the 18 Local Government Areas in the state, CTC of Forms EC8B (Wards Results Sheets) used for the conduct of the election in the 192 Wards in the state, 320 Certified True Copies of Form EC8A documents (polling Units results sheets), CTCs of INEC’s Polling Units Booklets, each containing Form EC25D, and CTCs of Form EC8A (IREV).
The lead counsel for INEC, Governor Monday Okpebholo, and the APC (the 1st to 3rd respondents) – represented by Kanu Agabi (SAN), Onyeachi Ikpeazu (SAN), and D.C. Denwigwe (SAN) – objected to the admissibility of these documents. They informed the tribunal that their reasons for objection would be presented during the final address stage of the case.
Presiding over the hearing, Justice Wilfred Kpochi provisionally admitted all the documents as exhibits, stating, “Learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage.”
The tribunal will continue hearing the case on Saturday, during which the petitioners are expected to tender additional evidence.
Ighodalo and the PDP, in their petition (marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024), are challenging INEC’s declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the election winner.
