Hearings on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, contesting the results of the September 21, 2024, election have resumed before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which is seated in Abuja.
In order to support Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who was proclaimed the victor by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole visited the tribunal as the hearings progressed.
Philip Shaibu, the former deputy governor of Edo state who defected from the PDP to the APC, was also in attendance.
With both parties vehemently defending the election result, their attendance at the tribunal indicates the significance of the dispute.
Haruna Ibrahim, the 16th witness called by the PDP’s legal team, stated that although the election was handled correctly overall, he noticed anomalies, such as excessive voting, during the polling process.
According to Ibrahim, a polling unit agent, he informed INEC officials about these anomalies while he was there. The PDP is using his testimony to support its claim that the election was faulty and ought to be canceled.
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Recall that 148 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used in the election were among the important evidence that the panel had already admitted.
Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer at INEC’s ICT Department, introduced these devices.
The BVAS data will be used to evaluate the legitimacy of the results, especially in contested polling units, and is essential for confirming that the election was conducted according to the correct protocols.
