Edo Election Drama: PDP Closes Case, What’s Next for Ighodalo?

On Monday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Asue Ighodalo, its candidate for governor of Edo State, concluded their case before the state's Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the PDP and Mr. Ighodalo filed a petition to contest the results of the previous year's governorship election, which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared was won by All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Monday Okpebholo.

As respondents to their petition, the petitioners added Mr. Okpebholo, the APC, and INEC.

Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, the petitioners' principal attorney, informed the tribunal that his clients had called 19 witnesses and had closed their argument when the matter was called.

Five more Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices were submitted by INEC, and they were utilized to certify voters throughout the election.

Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in the commission's ICT Department, submitted the electronic gadgets.

All of the respondents in the case objected, stating that they would explain their positions in their final written addresses, but they were nevertheless admitted into evidence.

NAN remembers that the tribunal had already acknowledged in evidence that 148 BVAS devices were utilized in 133 polling places where the petitioners are contesting the election results.

The three-member panel, presided over by Wilfred Kpochi, then postponed the case until February 5th so that INEC could begin its defense.

In a same vein, the ADP concluded its case after Francis Obamwonyi, its chairperson in Edo State, testified.

Mr. Obamwonyi told the tribunal that since it was his duty, he would be shocked if someone informed him that the party's election candidate also served as the state collation agent.

In the election where INEC proclaimed the APC and its candidate the winners, the witness also informed the tribunal that his party received 1,119 votes overall.

He claimed to have written his witness statement based on the reports of his party's agents at different polling places when requested to provide evidence for the claims of harassment, intimidation, overvoting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The panel then set February 6 as the date on which INEC will launch its defense.

In an interview with NAN, Jarrett Tenebe, the chairperson of the APC in Edo State, claimed that the PDP had abandoned the issue because they had no case ab initio, which is why they closed it so quickly.

"Closing their case at this stage equates to abandoning the case because they were summoned to testify but were unable to present more witnesses.

Does it not qualify as abandonment if you are contesting around 700 voting places and you only call 19 witnesses?

"They quickly closed their case today, which is good for the APC, because I don't think they have a case," Mr. Tenebe stated.

When the APC made their case, Mr. Tenebe said he was confident that everyone in the nation, especially those in Edo State, would be aware that the APC had won the poll.

According to NAN, INEC proclaimed Mr. Okpebholo of the APC the victor of the election held on September 21, 2024, after he received 291, 667 votes, defeating his close challenger, Mr. Ighodalo of the PDP, who received 247, 655 votes.

The PDP and Mr. Ighodalo, dissatisfied with INEC's announcement, went to the tribunal to request that it void INEC's announcement that the APC and its candidate had won the election.

The petitioners claimed in EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024 that Mr. Okpebholo failed to receive the most legitimate votes and that the election was void due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act.