Edo Election Tribunal gives judgment today, Wednesday

…Three Parties, PDP, AP, AA Unite to Tackle APC for the State’s Soul

…Oshiomhole, Idahosa, Odubu, Imasuen, Ize-Iyamu, Esekhaigbe lead APC

…Ighodalo Awaits Self-exiled Obaseki, Iyoha, Osagie for Physical Support

 

By Sebastine Ebhuomhan I Wednesday, April 02, 2025

 

ABUJA, Nigeria -;The Election Petitions Tribunal hearing Edo State governorship election petitions at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) is set to enter judgment on the petitions today.

A statement released on Tuesday, signed by the Tribunal Secretary Mua’zu Ibrahim Bagudu, Esq., and addressed to petitioners and defendant’s counsel, stated that the tribunal has scheduled today for judgment. Mr. Bagudu stated, “Good Evening, Learned Counsel. I am directed to notify you that the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in NJI, Abuja, has fixed Wednesday, the 2nd of April, 2025, for Judgment in (1) EPT/ED/GOV/01/2024; (2) EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024; and (3) EPT/ED/GOV/03/2024. Take note, please.”

By today’s judgment, the battle for the control of the soul of Edo State and its rescue from recent misrule and asset stripping is set for definite course.

 

How Okpebholo Defeated Ighodalo and Obaseki

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducted the Edo State governorship election on Saturday, 21st September, 2024. Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) defeated all the candidates of the other 16 political parties that contested the election that many political observers adjudged as free, fair, credible and populous. Okpebholo scored 291, 667 votes (about 51.1 percent) to defeat the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Asuerinme Ighodalo who scored 247, 655 votes (about 43.3 percent) for second position. The Labour Party (LP)’s Olumide Akpata scored 22, 763 votes (about 4.0 percent) to place third. Beside the three candidates, all the remaining 14 candidates of the election scored a combined 8, 945 votes. The total votes cast represented 22 percent of the 2, 629, 025 registered voters of the election.

Following his popular victory, Okpebholo was sworn into the Office of the Governor of Edo State on Tuesday, 12th November, 2024. His assumption of office marked a positive turning point for the people of the state following the two-term, eight-year tenure of his embattled predecessor, Governor Godwin Obaseki, who refused to hand-over to Okpebholo before running away from Nigeria with some of his aides.

 

From Seven Petitions to Three

The National Judicial Council promptly constituted a three-member Election Petitions Tribunal with Hon. Justice Wilfred Kpochi as Chairman. Other members are: Hon. Justice K. B. Yusuf and Hon. Justice A. A. Adewole. The tribunal held its inaugural sitting at the Edo State High Court Premises on Sapele Road, Benin City, on Monday, 9th December, 2024.

At the inaugural sitting or pre-hearing stage, seven political parties submitted petitions against the conduct of the election, challenging the INEC, Governor Okpebholo, and the APC in that order. Alphabetically, they are: Accord Party (AP), Action Alliance (AA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Allied People’s Movement (APM), People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP). Owing to the threats of violence that assailed subsequent sittings, the tribunal relocated from Benin to Abuja, where it began to sit from 28th January, 2025.

At the last count, four of the seven political parties had withdrawn their petitions after being unable to make any progress from their witnesses’ poor, weak, inconsistent, contradictory and embarrassing testimonies. This leaves only AP, AA and PDP as parties contending for today’s judgment with the APC.

 

A Summary of the Last Adjournment

Considering that the AP and the AA did not score up to 5,000 combined total votes, all eyes are on the PDP petition. Justice Kpochi adjourned the trial for judgment after counsels filed written addresses in EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, filed by the election losers, Dr. Ighodalo and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), 1st and 2nd petitioners.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the 1st respondent, Governor Monday Okpebholo is 2nd respondent, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is 3rd respondent.

Agabi filed a 12-point address that virtually took the wind out of the sail of Ighodalo and the PDP. In the first two points, the legal sage said, “Your Lordships cannot annul the election because that is not a relief that they sought. Your Lordships cannot declare the petitioners as winners of the election on the grounds of their arguments that it is invalid.” He also argued that ground of non-compliance is not accompanied by consequential reliefs.

Furthermore, Agabi argued: that the number of polling unit agents Ighodalo and the PDP called as witnesses represented a negligible number of the polling units the petitioners challenged and the entire polling units in Edo State; that the polling unit agents Ighodalo called all signed the result sheets, a clear sign that the election was organised in accordance to the law; that the case of the petitioners was founded on analyses undertaken by consultants; that the petitioners have not pleaded alternative results on the basis of which they can be declared the winners; that the petitioners have not tendered the results they challenged; and, lastly, that the witnesses did not distinguished between what they heard and what they saw, they failed to prove over-voting even as the petitioners dumped BIVAS on the tribunal.

“The grounds are inconsistent with one another and inconsistent with themselves. It renders them defective. On the basis of these, I urge My Lordships to dismiss the petition,” Agabi concluded.

On his part, counsel to the 2nd respondent, Ikpeazu, further took Ighodalo to the cleaners with his arguments, branding the petition as a mere “academic exercise.” He particularly urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition after accusing the petitioners of tendering sensitive material exhibits with missing parts, contrary to the serial numbers it carries for identification and tendering BIVAS machines without opening any of the machines to prove their allegation of over-voting.

According to the APC counsel, Ukala, to prove non-compliance of the majority votes, the Supreme Court mandated that the petitioners must prove non-compliance from polling unit to polling unit, ward to ward, and local government to local government. He contended that the petitioners simply dumped documents on the tribunal instead of proving them after calling only five polling units out of over 4,000 in Edo State and calling no single presiding officers for their hearsay evidence. Citing Ucha versus Elechi and Baba versus INEC, he said this is the position of the law in spite of Section 137 of the Electoral Act.

“It is clear that the case of the petitioners was not proven. I urge My Lordships to dismiss the petition,” Ukala concluded.

In his address for the petitioners, Mozia reiterated that they challenged 765 polling units and called only five polling unit agents. He maintained that the petitioners disagreed with collation at ward and local government levels. He begged the tribunal to holistically consider the petition on several grounds for cumulative effects. “Isolating grounds and submitting that such grounds when taken alone will not have the cumulative effects that were prayed and adopting that it is academic is not true.”

Mozia clanged to the disputed iRev results the petitioners tendered, insisting that no party had impugned the results. He cited Austin versus INEC, Kennedy versus INEC and Isah & Another versus INEC & Others before concluding inaudibly without underlining any relief, “We urge My Lordships to grant this petition.”

It is arguable if Ighodalo’s style of dumping materials on the tribunal achieved enough to nullify a local government council or a ward or even a unit of the entire election result Okpebholo unarguably won.

 

Great Expectation for Obaseki’s Appearance

The announcement of the Judgment Day has triggered a frenzy expectation for the attendance of the self-acclaimed leader of the PDP in Edo State, ex-Governor Godwin Obaseki and some of his runaway ‘boys’.

According to factional party sources, Obaseki was expected to fly into the country yesterday, Tuesday, to attend the Judgment Day sitting in order to inspire dispirited PDP leaders and members ahead of tribunal’s announcement, and to prove to his detractors that his hands are very clean, contrary to the mind-boggling revelations of multi-billion-naira sleaze, stripping and looting of state assets that have been oozing out of his administration’s opened books.

Sources also disclosed that Obaseki was coming in the company of his top aides that include his government’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Osaigbovo Iyoha, and his spokesman, Mr. Crusoe Osagie. They are expected to attend today’s sitting with other regular party leaders like the candidate and petitioner, Dr. Ighodalo, acting Edo PDP Chairman, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi and Edo PDP Governorship Campaign Director-General, Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.

As Ighodalo’s godfather, who single-handedly secured the party’s ticket for him after abusing the PDP’s internal democracy, and who also nominated his running mate after intimidating, bullying and threatening other more established aspirants of the party before allegedly rigging the primary in his godson’s favour, Obaseki’s absence at the trial both in Benin and in Abuja, has been a source of worry to his party’s candidate, leaders and members. Obaseki’s unexplained and continued absence from the tribunal is believed to be responsible for the Ighodalo’s refusal to address the media when he attended the sitting twice.

While Iyoha held sway as a feared and unchallenged Chief of Staff in Obaseki’s government, he combined his busy office with the election tasks as the Chief Returning Agent for Ighodalo. Osagie was a spokesman on the election for the ex-government and ex-governor. Until now, the escape of the three musketeers from Nigeria a few days to the handover of power to Okpebholo dealt a blow to the determination of Ighodalo and PDP’s petition, according to political observers, who expect nothing short of an Okpebholo and APC victory today.

 

Unmistakable, Intimidating APC Presence

Led by the petite but irrepressible People’s President, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the presence of the APC heavyweights at the tribunal sittings has neither been mistakable nor less than intimidating to the other parties, especially the PDP. A former two-term President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, a former two-term governor of Edo State, a former National Chairman of the APC, and the incumbent Senator of Edo North Senatorial District in the Senate of the Federal Republic where he chairs the Interior Affairs Committee, Oshiomhole is the undisputed leader of the APC in Edo State. He will be leading his party to the tribunal again today.

Oshiomhole would be joined at the forefront of support for Governor Okpebholo by Edo State Deputy Governor, Right Honourable Dennis Idahosa and no less than three former deputy governors of the state. They are: Chief Lucky Imasuen, Dr. Pius Odubu and Comrade Philip Shaibu. While the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Alhaji Momoh would be leading a strong federal executive presence, too, Edo APC Chairman, Emperor Jarette Tenebe and Secretary, Engr. Lawrence Okah would be leading a strong team of party leaders and members from Edo State. Of course, the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign Organization, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, ex-Secretary to the State Government, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, ex-Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Afolabi Umahikhe, APC National Working Committee members: Dr. (Mrs.) Mary Alile and Barrister Blessing Agbonmere; past and present federal and state lawmakers; state cabinet members led by Attorney-General, Right Hon. Samson Osagie and the Chief of Staff, Hon. Gani Audu; agency heads, board members, and more personalities, are expected to attend today’s sitting.

The intimidating presence of these personalities that had always made PDP leaders, spokespersons, and members to speculate beyond the realm of knowledge and understanding in the past, will not change today.

 

Will Obaseki, Edo PDP Leader, Attend Tribunal?

In spite of the great expectations, a chieftain of the Legacy Group, the state party nucleus the ex-governor disintegrated in four years, who craved anonymity, dismissed the rumour of Obaseki’s appearance with a wave of the hand, after insisting that Obaseki loathes to be physically present when the tribunal is pronouncing Ighodalo’s fate. According to the chieftain, Obaseki has neither belief nor hope in Ighodalo’s petition. It is alleged that contrary to speculations, none of the three ex-government officials would dare to enter Nigeria or attend the tribunal, sitting about 800 meters from the National Headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

During his eight years of two terms as governor, many citizens had tales of woes of ingratitude, terror, intimidation, bullying, threats, destabilisation, destruction and victimisation to narrate about Obaseki and his government, managed mostly by imported consultants. Not even the traditional council was spared. This is seen in the hostile manner Obaseki dealt with Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Ewuare II. Many therefore viewed the election result and today’s judgment as verdicts on his eight years of misrule.

The EFCC has continued to receive petitions detailing how Obaseki and his aides perpetrated huge financial, land and other racketeering and corruption in power. The Edo State Public Property Recovery Taskforce declared Osagie wanted for allegedly stealing two official vehicles after leaving office. It is yet unknown if he has returned the vehicles as at now.

Will the three fugitives therefore make an appearance at the tribunal as speculated or not? Edo people are waiting with baited breath.

 

NB: Mr. Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and media consultant from Edo State. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com and 08037204620.