The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, commenced hearings on Tuesday into seven petitions challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2024 governorship election.
Naija News reports that the petitions were filed by Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Accord Party (AP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), the and the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
During the hearing, counsel to the PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo, sought to tender documents related to the election.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Ken Mozia, representing the petitioners’ lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo, assured the court that the documents had been meticulously organized to ensure a seamless process.
“We have carefully arranged the documents used in the conduct of the election to make the entire process seamless for all parties involved,” Mozia said.
However, counsel for Governor Okpebholo, the APC, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, and Kanu Agabi, SAN, opposed the move. They argued that the documents needed to be formally filed before being admitted as evidence.
Adjournment For Pre-Hearing Meeting
Following the arguments, the tribunal adjourned the hearing of the PDP petition to January 17, 2024. The adjournment will allow the parties involved to hold a pre-hearing meeting with the court registry to streamline the presentation of documents by the petitioners.
Addressing journalists after the adjournment, Ighodalo expressed optimism about reclaiming his mandate through the tribunal.
He said, “I want to use this opportunity to commend the people of Edo State for coming out en masse to vote for us on September 21, 2024, and for keeping faith with us.
“They have been very calm in the face of intimidation and harassment in the last three months. We strongly believe that the judiciary will do the right thing, and we are looking forward to the outcome of the tribunal proceedings.”
