Hearing of the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election continues to be characterised by key testimonies from witnesses of the Peoples Democratic Party, alleging irregularities across three local government areas. The PDP, through its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, challenged the declaration of the winner of the election by INEC, in the person of Governor Monday Okpebholo of APC. The party is basing its case on grounds of electoral misconduct and discrepancies, which it argued affected the final outcome of the vote.
The testimonies before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal centre on overvoting, inadequate documentation, and misreporting of results in several polling units across Edo State.
Irregularities Alleged in Ikpoba Okha LGA
One of the star witnesses, Kennedy Osifo, former PDP collation officer for Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area, narrated how some electoral fraud had been committed within Ward II of the LGA. Osifo tendered agents’ copies of the election result for 76 polling units. He said when compared with a certified true copy of the BVAS accreditation report obtained from INEC’s IREV portal, they showed discrepancies.
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He alleged that the above discrepancies indicated clearly that manipulations had occurred and the commission relied on the wrong figures to declare the final election result. Osifo made specific statements to four anomalies within the ward, showing some discrepancy in the final tally of his testimony, based on what is contained in official documents, not personal accounts by agents. Under cross-examination, Osifo insisted that his testimony was based on just the two sets of documents: the agents’ copies and the BVAS accreditation reports, arguing that the figures were wrongly collated to arrive at an unjust declaration of the winner.
Akoko-Edo LGA: Accusations of Irregularities
Adebayo Ogedegbe, PDP Collation Officer, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, also gave his testimony before the Tribunal. Ogedegbe showed discrepancies in 45 polling units in the LGA, explaining that INEC had miscomputed results in 41 of these units, leading to a distorted outcome.
He further accused INEC of doing nothing to correct the anomaly, even when there was clear evidence of overvoting in four other polling units. He tendered agents’ copies of the election results from these units to support his claims. He argued that the discrepancies were glaring enough to have impacted the overall integrity of the election.
Ogedegbe said his testimony was structured to reflect INEC official records comprised of certified true copies of results of the election and BVAS accreditation reports. Contending further that given the nature of the irregularities complained of, having been unaddressed by INEC, eroded the validity of the election.
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Ovia South-West: Overvoting and Protests Not Considered
In a dramatic twist at the tribunal, an PDP Collation Agent of Ovia South-West Local Government Area testified to widespread overvoting by the APC. In its testimony at the tribunal yesterday, the still unnamed witness said total number of vote cast in favour of the said APC in Seven Polling Unit’s exceeded that number of accredited voters’ claims, suggesting Overvoting.
The affected units are PU 014, 007, 004, 006, 016, 028, and 034, all in Ovia South-West, which is considered the stronghold of Hon. Dennis Idahosa, deputy governor of Edo State and running mate to the APC governorship candidate in the election. According to him, despite protests from party agents on the overvoting, the INEC officials refused to take any action to address the situation.
He further added that the overvoting was documented in the official forms such as BVAS accreditation reports, certified true copies of result sheets, known as Form EC8A-C and IREV data. The testimony was however adduced before the tribunal when the electoral body had failed to cancel or review the affected polling units.
The written statement of the PDP agent was opposed through cross-examination by INEC and APC counsel on the ground of its admissibility, but the tribunal in the course of the trial admitted the evidence in the case.
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Tribunal Proceedings Continue
The hearing of the trial, now before a three-man panel, is presided over by Justice Wilfred Kpochi. The trial has continued to unveil new revelations, and more are expected in the coming days. In that light, the PDP has prayed for multiple witnesses to provide additional information on such irregularities occurring across other parts of the state. As this hearing unfolds, it will be very consequential to the legitimacy of the September 2024 governorship election in Edo.
What’s more, both the APC and INEC have vehemently denied any wrongdoings, citing that the election was free, fair, and conducted in line with all the provisions of law and the rules guiding elections. The respondents have denied the allegations and raised objections to the admissibility of some documents which the PDP tendered.
Implications for Future Elections
The outcome of the tribunal case may have far-reaching implications for the credibility of the election process in Edo State and possibly set a precedent for other states within Nigeria. Electoral malpractices, most especially overvoting and mishandling of election results, have remained contentious in the democratic process of the country.
The tribunal resumes the examination of more PDP witnesses and the presentation of evidence; all political watchers and stakeholders are keenly watching developments in Edo State and beyond. Finally, it would be up to the tribunal’s final ruling to lay to rest whether the victory of Governor Okpebholo would stand or a fresh election ordered.
As such, the proceedings may continue in the days ahead with more witnesses in the legal battle that will finally authenticate or otherwise the result of the September 2024 governorship election.
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Reported by GistNexus Correspondent, Mr. Ade Ayo and Edited by Mr. Chibueze Onwuka