INEC Presents Gubernatorial Election Results at Edo Tribunal

On Wednesday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) presented key documents before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as part of its defense of the controversial September 21, 2024 gubernatorial election. INEC, led by former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, tendered certified true copies of the disputed results, contained in Form EC8D. They also submitted the official declaration of results and INEC’s 2022 Election Regulations & Guidelines.

While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, are challenging the results, their lawyer, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, confirmed they had no objections to the documents being admitted into evidence. Other parties, including the APC and Governor Monday Okpebholo’s legal teams, also raised no objections.

The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, accepted the documents, marking them as Exhibits R-1, R-2, and R-3. INEC further informed the court that it has five witnesses lined up, though it expects to finish its defense in just three days instead of the originally allocated ten.

The case centers around the dispute of the election outcome, in which APC’s Okpebholo won with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo who received 247,655 votes. The petitioners argue that the election was invalid due to alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act and claim Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes. Following the petitioners’ presentation of 19 witnesses and supporting documents, the tribunal is set to continue its proceedings on Thursday.