The Edo chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the ruling of the election petition tribunal and announced plans to appeal the decision at the Court of Appeal.
The tribunal, which convened in Abuja on Wednesday, upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, dismissing the petitions filed by the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.
Tony Aziegbemi, the chairman of the PDP caretaker committee, expressed the party’s disagreement with the tribunal’s judgment, insisting that their candidate had been duly elected by the majority in the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
Aziegbemi emphasized the PDP’s belief that they had presented a strong case before the tribunal.
“We hold the judiciary in the highest regard, but we completely disagree with the tribunal’s decision.
We are certain our candidate was lawfully elected by the people,” Aziegbemi said. “We have full confidence that we provided sufficient evidence to support our case.”
He also called on party members to remain hopeful, assuring them that the PDP would pursue the matter in the appellate courts.
“We are firm believers in the rule of law and will continue to fight for the will of the people,” he added.
The three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, ruled unanimously in favor of Governor Okpebholo, stating that the petitioners had failed to prove their claims of over-voting and electoral malpractice.
The tribunal maintained that it was the responsibility of the petitioners to provide evidence of electoral violations, not the other way around.
Regarding allegations of over-voting in certain polling units, the tribunal agreed with the defense that the petitioners had not provided credible witnesses to substantiate their claims.
Justice Kpochi remarked that the documents presented by the petitioners lacked competent witnesses, and the failure to call polling unit agents and presiding officers to testify was a significant weakness in their case.
The tribunal also criticized the PDP for submitting the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machines without competent witnesses to demonstrate any over-voting, calling the failure to produce the necessary evidence “fatal” to their petition.