The Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal Wednesday affirmed the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo, dismissing all petitions against his victory
Okpebholo, who first secured his mandate on September 21, 2024, defeated his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in the governorship election. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Ighodalo and the PDP had approached the Tribunal, seeking to overturn the results.
Delivering its judgment on Wednesday, the Tribunal dismissed the PDP’s petition, citing a lack of competent witnesses and insufficient evidence to back claims of electoral malpractice. It held that the petitioners failed to provide substantial proof that irregularities affected the election outcome.
One of the key allegations raised by the petitioners was the failure to properly record electoral materials before the polls, a claim the Tribunal found unsubstantiated. While documents were submitted as evidence, the absence of witnesses to authenticate them rendered the materials inadmissible.
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Out of the 19 witnesses presented, 14 were ward and local government agents, while the star witness, a self-identified director of strategy, had no direct involvement in the election process. The Tribunal ruled that none of these witnesses had the requisite firsthand knowledge to testify on the alleged infractions.
On the issue of over-voting, the Tribunal emphasized that such claims must be proven through oral evidence, in line with Supreme Court precedents. It maintained that the petitioners failed to meet this legal requirement, further weakening their case.
Additionally, the Tribunal observed that the witnesses relied upon by the petitioners were not physically present at polling units during the election. It ruled that firsthand testimony was necessary to establish electoral violations, which the petitioners failed to provide.
With the failure to meet the burden of proof, the Tribunal struck out the petition, reaffirming Okpebholo’s victory and putting an end to the legal challenge against his mandate.
Crediblenewsng.com
