PDP, APC Clash Over Alleged Witness Threats at Edo Election Tribunal
Tensions flared on Thursday at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) clashed over allegations of witness intimidation.
The drama unfolded after the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, commenced proceedings. Ken Mozia, SAN, counsel for the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, accused the APC of threatening witnesses who were set to testify in the petition seeking to nullify Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election.
Mozia claimed that while the witnesses’ identities were protected through coded acronyms, their roles during the September 21, 2024, election had made it clear who they were. He stated that some witnesses had been so frightened by the alleged threats that they were now unwilling to testify.
“We provided the respondents with the list of witnesses, but what they did to some of them is beyond imagination. Some of them are now too afraid to appear and testify,” Mozia stated.
The petitioners’ allegations were quickly rejected by the counsel for the APC, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, who dismissed the claims as unfounded. Ukala asserted that the petitioners knew the proper legal channels to pursue if their witnesses were being threatened.
Justice Kpochi intervened, urging the petitioners to provide the respondents with a list of witnesses in advance to avoid further complications.
As the hearing continued, the Ward Agent of the PDP in Akoko-Edo LGA, Eseigbe Victor, took the witness stand to testify on behalf of the petitioners.
The PDP and its candidate, Ighodalo, are challenging the result of the September governorship election, where INEC declared Okpebholo of the APC as the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes. The petitioners argue that the election was invalid due to alleged violations of the Electoral Act and contend that Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes.
