By Anthony Ochela, Abuja
Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed a second petition filed against the declaration of Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress, APC, as winners of the 2024 gubernatorial poll.
The tribunal, sitting at the National Judicial Institute, NJI, in Abuja Wednesday, dismissed the petition instituted by Accord Party on so many grounds.Â
In the judgement, it held that Accord and its governorship candidate, Dr Bright Enabulele, made spurious allegations of thuggery, stuffing of ballot boxes, harassing and molesting voters, but failed to name a single perpetrator.
The tribunal held that the petitioners were so inconsistent in their allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act and calling for nullification of the poll on one hand.
On the other hand, the tribunal said the same petitioners sought to be declared winners of the election they claimed to have been conducted without compliance with the Electoral Act.
In the final analysis, the tribunal held that there was no meaningful evidence for it to act upon to nullify the election of Okpebholo and APC and subsequently, dismissed the petition in its entirety.
It also affirmed the election of Okpebholo for being valid, conducted in compliance with the law and properly declared as winners by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.
With the latest judgement, Governor Okpebholo has won the second in the series of petitions challenging his declaration as winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that Okpebholo won 291, 667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 247, 655 votes.
The tribunal had earlier dismissed the suit instituted by Action Alliance, AA, challenging Okpebholo’s election.
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member panel held that the petition, which the party filed along with its National Chairman, Adekunle Omoaje, was devoid of merit as it bordered on pre-election issues.
The petitioners had, among other things, alleged that INEC excluded its lawful candidate in the election.
They alleged that contrary to various court judgements, the electoral body accepted and recognised a candidate that was not validly nominated by the party.
According to the petitioners, INEC’s failure to publish the name of the rightful candidate of the party for the gubernatorial contest amounted to substantial non-compliance to the provisions of Section 134(1) (b) of the Electoral Act.
Besides their contention that Governor Okpebholo did not secure the majority of lawful votes cast during the election, the petitioners insisted that the exercise was marred by corrupt practices.
They, therefore, prayed for the nullification of the election, a request the panel refused.
The panel upheld all the preliminary objections that were lodged against the petition.
All the respondents, including INEC and Okpebholo, had challenged the competence of the petition, stressing that the national chairman of AA was bereft of the locus standi to institute the action since he did not participate in the governorship poll.
They equally maintained that the petition was statute-barred as it contained pre-election matters that were beyond the jurisdiction of the tribunal.
AA’s candidate, Mr Tom Iseghhi-Okojie, had stepped down for Okpebholo a few days before the election.
