The Peoples Democratic Party and its candidate in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, on Monday closed their case at the Edo State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The PDP and Ighodalo dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, All Progressives Congress, and Governor Monday Okpebholo to the tribunal challenging the outcome of the governorship election.
When the matter was called, the lead counsel for the petitioners, Robert Emukpoeruo (SAN), told the tribunal that his clients had concluded their case having called 19 witnesses.
For its part, INEC tendered five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines that were used during the election.
The electronic devices were tendered by Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer in the ICT Department of the commission.
They were admitted in evidence though all the respondents in the matter objected, saying they would give their reasons in their final written addresses.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the tribunal had earlier admitted in evidence a total of 148 BVAS that were used in 133 polling units where results of the election are being disputed by the petitioners.
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal subsequently adjourned the matter until February 5 for INEC to open its defence.
Similarly, the ADP also closed its case following the testimony of its Chairman in Edo State, Francis Obamwonyi.
Obamwonyi told the tribunal that he would be surprised if anyone told him that the party’s candidate in the election also doubled as the state collation agents since that was his responsibility.
The witness also told the tribunal that his party scored a total of 1,119 votes in the election that INEC declared the APC and its candidate as winners.
When asked to substantiate the allegations he made in his witness statement of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, over voting, harassment and intimidation, he said he wrote it based on the reports of his party’s agents at various polling units.
The tribunal then fixed February 6 for INEC to open its defence in this matter.
In an interview with NAN, the Chairman of the APC in Edo State, Jarrett Tenebe, said that the PDP closed its case abruptly because they had no case abinitio and that it was an indication that they had abandoned the case.
Tenebe said: “They were called to testify but couldn’t produce more witnesses.
“So closing their case at this point amounts to abandonment of the case.
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“If you are challenging about seven hundred and something polling units and you call only 19 witnesses, does that not amount to abandonment?
“I think they do not have a case that is why they hurriedly closed their case today, which is a good thing for the APC.”
Tenebe expressed confidence that when the APC opens its case, the whole country and the people of Edo State in particular would know that it won the election.
NAN reports that INEC had declared Okpebholo of the APC as winner of the September 21, 2024 election having scored a total of 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ighodalo of the PDP, who scored a total of 247,655 votes.
Not satisfied with INEC’s declaration, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, asking it to nullify INEC’s declaration of the APC and its candidate as winners of the election.
In the petition, marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, the petitioners alleged that Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes and that the election was invalid on grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.