Edo PDP Rejects Tribunal Ruling, Vows To Appeal Verdict

• Edo PDP rejects tribunal ruling, insists its candidate won.

• Tribunal dismissed PDP’s petition, citing lack of sufficient evidence.

• PDP vows to appeal and continue the legal battle.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has rejected the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which upheld the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in a statement issued on Wednesday in Benin, the Chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee, Tony Aziegbemi, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the tribunal’s ruling, insisting that the party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, was the rightful winner of the election.

“The Edo Election Petition Tribunal has delivered its ruling on our petition challenging the governorship election results. While we respect the judiciary, we completely disagree with the tribunal’s decision,” Aziegbemi stated.

He maintained that the PDP had presented a strong case, arguing that the majority of voters in Edo State had elected Ighodalo.

“We firmly believe that our candidate was duly elected by the people. We are confident that we provided sufficient evidence to prove our case before the tribunal,” he added.

Aziegbemi called on party supporters to remain steadfast, assuring them that the PDP would escalate the matter to the appellate courts to seek justice.

“We urge all our members to rise above this temporary setback. We will pursue this matter in the appellate courts, as we remain firm believers in the rule of law and the triumph of justice over injustice,” he said.

The three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, dismissed the PDP’s petition on the grounds that the party failed to provide sufficient evidence to substantiate claims of over-voting and electoral irregularities.

Justice Kpochi emphasized that the burden of proof rested on the petitioners, not the respondents, noting that the PDP did not present polling unit agents or presiding officers as witnesses to support their claims.

“The documents tendered by the petitioners were merely submitted without competent witnesses to authenticate the claims of over-voting and non-compliance. The absence of polling unit agents and registered voters to testify is fatal to their case,” the judge ruled.

The tribunal also faulted the PDP for presenting Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines without calling experts to demonstrate their claims.

“The witnesses brought by the petitioners, including Local Government agents, were not direct participants in the disputed polling units. Failure to provide firsthand eyewitness accounts undermines their allegations,” Justice Kpochi added.

Despite the setback, the PDP remains resolute in its legal battle. Aziegbemi affirmed, “This is not the end but the beginning of a greater struggle for justice, democracy, and the sanctity of the people’s mandate freely given to our candidate.”

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