Edo governorship tribunal dismisses Accord Party’s petition against Okpebholo, APC

The tribunal held that the Accord Party and its governorship candidate, Bright Enabulele, made weighty allegations but failed to prove them.

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, dismissed the petition filed by Accord Party against the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the 21 September 2024 governorship election.

Delivering judgement, the Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal held that Accord Party and its governorship candidate, Bright Enabulele, made weighty allegations but failed to prove them.

The tribunal said that the petitioners failed to name any perpetrator to substantiate their allegations of thuggery, stuffing of ballots, harassing and molesting voters.

According to the tribunal, the two petitioners were so inconsistent in their claims with allegations of non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2002 and calling for nullification of the election on one hand while seeking to be declared winners on the other hand.

“On the other hand, they are seeking to be declared winners of the election they claimed to have been conducted without compliance with the Electoral Act,” the tribunal ruled.

The tribunal held that there was no meaningful evidence for it to act upon to nullify the election of Mr Okpebholo and APC and subsequently dismissed the petition in its entirety.

The tribunal thereafter affirmed the election of Mr Okpebholo as being valid and conducted in compliance with the law.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the tribunal had earlier dismissed the petition filed by Action Alliance (AA)also challenging the declaration of Mr Okpebholo and the APC as winners of the Edo State governorship election.

The petition of AA was dismissed for being frivolous and lacking in merit.

The tribunal is currently delivering judgment in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate Asue Ighodalo also challenging the declaration of the APC and Mr Okpebholo as the winner of the disputed poll.

(NAN)