- INEC Fails To Present Witnesses
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Governor of Edo State, Monday Okpebholo, could not open his case on Thursday as earlier scheduled as proceedings at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal have been adjourned till Monday, February 10.
This follows the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which was scheduled to present its witnesses starting Thursday, February 6, to do so.
INEC’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN, informed the three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Okpochi, that they would not be presenting any witnesses after giving it a thought at the end of Wednesday’s proceedings.
He said there will not be a need to call witnesses. Recall that at the tribunal’s resumed sitting on Wednesday, INEC’s counsel, Mr. Abdullahi Aliyu (SAN), informed the panel that the commission had lined up five witnesses to testify in defence of the declaration of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress as the winner of the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election.
Aliyu requested an adjournment until Thursday (today) to allow the witnesses, most of whom were traveling from Benin, Edo State, to be present for their testimonies.
The tribunal had scheduled Wednesday for INEC to open its defence following the closure of the petitioners’ case on Monday.
The petitioners—the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo—are challenging Okpebholo’s victory, alleging electoral malpractices.
INEC declared that Okpebholo secured 291,667 votes to defeat Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes.
However, the petitioners claimed that the election was marred by non-compliance with the Electoral Act, citing allegations of overvoting and the input of incorrect figures at collation centres. The PDP and Ighodalo closed their case on Monday after calling several witnesses ans tendering documents.
