Tribunal Adjourns PDP’s Case for Pre-hearing Conference, Opens Hearing in Accord Party’s Petition

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The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-man Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal (EPT), on Wednesday commenced full hearing on the seven petitions challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All-Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the September 21, 2024, state governorship election. The EPT also adjourned to January 17, hearing of the petition filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), to enable parties in the petition have a pre-hearing meeting with the Court Registry on Thursday on the way to go about presentation of documents by the petitioners.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo of the PDP, who garnered 247,274 votes. Rejecting the result, the petitioners, Asue Ighodalo, PDP, Accord Party (AP), Allied Peoples Movement (APM), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), dragged INEC, Okpebholo and the APC before the tribunal to challenge the outcome.

Upon the commencement of hearing on Wednesday, the candidate of the Accord Party, Dr. Bright Enabulele, through his counsel, J.A. Dagher, presented three witnesses in support of his petition.

Prosecution Witness 1(PW1), Mr. Zakaria Wisdom Yahaya, adopted his witness statement and prayed the court to rely on it in support of the petitioner’s case. Yahaya, through his statement on oath, told the court that the conduct of the poll in his Polling Unit 28, Ward 8, in Akoko-Edo Local where he functioned as polling unit agent for his party (AC), were marred with irregularities to wit ballots stuffing.

When cross-examined by counsel to the 1st to 3rd Respondents (Governor Okpebholo, APC and INEC), Onyeachi Ikpeazu, senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, and Abdullahi Aliyu, SAN, respectively, the PW1 told the court that he also functioned as Ward Agent for his party. Also testifying before the court was Daisy Nwanchukwu, who claimed to have functioned as polling unit agent in Oredo Unit 9, Ward 3.

When asked if she was given an agent card by INEC to function in the election, the witness answered in the negative. For the 70-year-old PW3, Victoria Ogbebor, she stated in her witness statement that she acted as a unit agent in Unit 32 for her party in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area during the election. When asked by Aliyu if she knew one Dr. Bright Enabulele (AP candidate in the election), the witness said that she may know the name.

When the matter was called for hearing on Wednesday, Ken Mozia, SAN, who held the brief of the petitioners’ s lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN, told the court that his clients were ready to tender carefully arranged documents used in the conduct of the election.

He maintained that the document set to be tendered from the bar were arranged very well to make the entire process seamless for parties before the court.

But counsel to Governor Okpebholo, APC and INEC, Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, Emmanuel Ukala SAN, and Kanu Agabi, SAN, opposed the submission of the petitioners’ counsel, maintaining that the documents should have been filed before the court before same could be admitted as exhibits.
Speaking to journalists shortly after adjournment, Ighodalo expressed confidence in the judiciary to reclaim his mandate. He commended the people of the state for their overwhelming votes during the governorship election.

He said, “I want to use this opportunity to commend the people of Edo State for coming out en masse to vote for us on September 21, 2024, and for keeping faith with us. They have been very calm in the face of intimidation, harassment in the last three months in the state.
“We strongly believe that the judiciary will do the right thing, and we are looking forward to the outcome of the tribunal proceedings”.