Edo Tribunal Showdown: PDP, Asue Ighodalo On Edge As APC Seals Defence

In what has been described as a strategic legal maneuver, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday officially closed its defence before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.……READ MORE 

Led by senior lawyer Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, APC’s legal team expressed confidence in the compelling testimony of four key witnesses, asserting that their evidence effectively dismantled the allegations raised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in their bid to overturn Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election victory.

The witnesses testified that the September 21, 2024, governorship election in Edo State was conducted in full compliance with the Electoral Act. They refuted claims of over-voting, insisting that any polling unit where the number of accredited voters exceeded recorded votes—particularly in PDP strongholds—had its results discarded by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during collation.

Interestingly, some of the 19 witnesses presented by the petitioners admitted that Governor Okpebholo secured the highest number of lawful votes in their respective polling units.

Convinced that the petitioners had undermined their own case, both the APC and Governor Okpebholo opted to rest their defence.

The tribunal has scheduled March 3 for all parties to present their final arguments.