In the ongoing legal battle over the outcome of the September 21, 2024 Edo State governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, has formally begun his case against the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC). On Friday, Ighodalo presented over 1,000 documents as evidence to support his petition, intensifying the dispute over the election’s credibility.
Ighodalo, along with the PDP, filed a petition identified as EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, contesting the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo as the election winner. He alleges that significant irregularities occurred during the election process and asserts that he, not Okpebholo, secured the highest number of valid votes.
During Friday’s court session, Ighodalo’s legal team, led by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Adetunji Oyeyipo, tendered a Certified True Copy (CTC) of Form EC8E, which is INEC’s official declaration of results, as part of the evidence. Supporting the presentation, another senior counsel, Kenneth Mozia, submitted additional documents, including:
- CTC of Form EC8D, summarizing local government results at the state level.
- CTCs of Form EC8Cs, detailing results from all 18 local government areas.
- CTCs of Form EC8Bs, which are ward-level results from the 192 wards across the state.
- 320 CTCs of Form EC8A, representing polling unit results.
- 318 CTCs of INEC polling unit booklets containing Form EC25D.
- 58 CTCs of Form EC8A extracted from INEC’s electronic results portal (IREV).
Counsel representing INEC, Governor Okpebholo, and the APC, including Kanu Agabi, SAN, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, and D.C. Denwigwe, SAN, objected to the admissibility of these documents. They stated that their objections would be detailed during their final address to the tribunal.
Despite the objections, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who heads the tribunal, provisionally admitted the documents as exhibits, instructing the respondents to present their arguments against the evidence at a later stage.
“The learned counsel to the respondents shall state their reasons for their objections at the address stage,” Justice Kpochi ruled.
As the tribunal proceedings continue, the petitioners are expected to present even more documents to bolster their case. The next hearing is scheduled for Saturday, December 18, 2024.
This case has drawn widespread attention, as it underscores ongoing concerns about electoral transparency and credibility in Nigeria. The outcome could have significant implications not only for the parties involved but also for the broader political landscape in Edo State.
