Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has rejected the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, which declared Monday Okpebholo winner of the Edo governorship election.
Recall that moments ago, the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the September 21, 2023, election in the state.
ENigeria News reports that the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi dismissed the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Asuerime Ighodalo, and upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a unanimous judgment.
ENigeria News reports that the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led Tribunal, in its judgment, further gave reasons why it declared the defendant as the authentic winner of the election, which was widely perceived as flawed and riddled with a lot of irregularities and malpractices.
The Tribunal cited the petitioner’s inability to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt, failure to call witnesses to prove its claim of overvoting, failure to call polling unit agents from all the polling units mentioned in its petition, among other issues raised.
Asue Ighodalo, in a statement personally signed by him, has called for calm among his supporters, adding, “As an avowed democrat, I respect the judiciary as the hope of the common man, and I will urge all of you, the good people of Edo State, to remain peaceful, calm, and law-abiding in the aftermath of this judgment. However, let it be clear: this is not the end of our journey, but the beginning of a greater struggle for justice, democracy, and the sanctity of the people’s mandate freely conferred on me and my running mate…”
In the statement sighted by ENigeria News, Asue said, “I have therefore instructed my legal team to proceed to the Court of Appeal to challenge this decision, which we consider a huge travesty of justice.”
It would be recalled that in the last Edo State governorship election, Asue polled 247,655 votes, closest to the declared winner, Monday Okpebholo, who polled 291,667 votes.
