The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, dismissing the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
The PDP had approached the tribunal, challenging the validity of the election results on grounds of alleged violations of the Electoral Act and incidents of over-voting, which they claimed tainted the integrity of the poll.
However, delivering its ruling, the tribunal struck out the petition, stating that while there were indications of non-compliance in some areas, the onus was on the PDP to substantiate its claims with credible evidence.
The tribunal held that the burden of proof could not be transferred to the respondents—Governor Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Furthermore, the panel ruled that the allegations questioning Okpebholo’s legitimacy as the rightful winner of the election lacked merit, as the petitioners failed to provide sufficient proof to support their claims.
It was also noted that the PDP and its candidate were unable to present polling unit agents to validate their arguments regarding discrepancies in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forms, further weakening their case.
Consequently, the tribunal dismissed the petition and affirmed Okpebholo’s election victory.
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