“Edo Tribunal Dismisses SDP’s Petition Against Okpebholo’s Election After Withdrawal”

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, dismissed the Social Democratic Party (SDP)’s petition to nullify Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election on Tuesday. The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, terminated the proceedings after the SDP withdrew its petition.

During the resumed hearing, the SDP’s counsel, Mr. Jackson Ehiavhie, informed the tribunal that the party no longer wished to pursue the case. He stated that he had received instructions from the SDP National Secretariat to withdraw the petition.

With no objections from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Justice Kpochi promptly dismissed the case in a brief ruling.

The SDP had been one of six political parties that approached the tribunal to challenge the election results, aiming to invalidate the Certificate of Return issued to Okpebholo after he was declared the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election. Okpebholo of the APC received 291,667 votes, defeating 17 other candidates, including his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,274 votes.

Aside from the PDP, other parties that filed petitions included the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Accord Party (AP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).

In its withdrawn petition, the SDP argued that the election violated the Electoral Act and INEC’s regulations. The party claimed that the failure of INEC’s Presiding Officers to electronically transmit collated votes from polling units, as required by law, made the election process flawed and invalid. The SDP had prayed the tribunal to nullify the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner, but ultimately, the petition was withdrawn and dismissed.