Rita Odafe
Edo State Election Tribunal Delayed by INEC’s Lack of Witnesses
On Wednesday, February 5, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja was unable to proceed due to the non-arrival of witnesses from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The tribunal is currently reviewing a petition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo. They are contesting the results of the gubernatorial election held on September 21, 2024, which declared Monday Okpebholo from the All Progressives Congress (APC) the victor.
During the hearing, INEC’s attorney, Abdullahi Aliyu, informed the tribunal that the five witnesses planned for the defense were delayed in transit from Benin City and could not testify as previously scheduled.
To emphasize its commitment, INEC presented three documents to the tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi:
- Certified True Copies of the Collation of Results at the State Level (Form EC8D)
- Declaration of Results Form
- Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022
Despite the submitted documents, Justice Kpochi expressed dissatisfaction with INEC’s preparation, indicating that the day had been wasted due to the commission’s lack of readiness.
Aliyu requested an adjournment, asserting that INEC still had a ten-day window to present its case, which he claimed would require just one day for completion.
PDP’s lawyer, Adetunji Oyeyipo, did not oppose the document submission but noted that these were the same documents the PDP had previously used to claim election irregularities.
Consequently, the tribunal decided to adjourn the hearing until Thursday, allowing time for INEC to present its witnesses.
The PDP and Ighodalo are demanding that Okpebholo’s victory be declared invalid, asserting that the election was conducted in breach of the Electoral Act, 2022. They maintain that Okpebholo did not receive the legitimate highest number of votes and are urging the tribunal to annul the election results.
