By Sebastine Ebhuomhan
Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC)-elected governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo’s defeated opponent and People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s candidate in the Saturday, 21st September, 2024, state governorship election, Dr. Asuerinme Ighodalo, would have his demand for the Supreme Court to hear his petition challenging his loss granted from 9.00am today, Wednesday.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) returned Okpebholo, who scored 291, 667 votes in the election to defeat Ighodalo with 247, 655 votes. Okpebholo also unanimously defeated Ighodalo, PDP and two other political parties, Action Alliance (AA) and Accord Party (AP) at the tribunal; a feat he repeated at the Court of Appeal.
At the Appeal Court, Okpebholo’s cross-appeal was admitted under Sections 167 and 169 of the Evidence Act. The court also admitted the cross-appeal’s objection to the admissibility of 133 INEC BIVAS machines, which Ighodalo refused to open to prove over-voting and substantial non-compliance, before striking them off record.
The court highlighted Ighodalo’s inability to sustain arguments through his deliberate refusal to call key witnesses and poor documentation. It nailed him for pleading no relief, especially as “the court has no jurisdiction to grant a petitioner any relief that was not pleaded.” It further underlined the fact of the appellants’ failure to tabulate his correct score after all deductions, obviously because he still didn’t win.
Delivering the judgement, Honourable Justice Mohammed Danjuma, JCA, said, “There is no merit in this appeal. This appeal is hereby struck out. It would be right if we had dismissed it; not merely striking it out. As you can see in this appeal, it was simply a gamble.”
Ighodalo branded the judgement a travesty of justice, and approached the Supreme Court. He said the lower courts failed to address his main grouse which includes: alleged tampering of election forms, alleged missing serial numbers on Form EC25B, and alleged irregular collation records that mitigate the election’s integrity.
As all the parties were anxiously anticipating and awaiting today’s judgement, the attempt by agents, privies and representatives of Ighodalo to blackmail Honourable Justice Inyang John Okoro of the Supreme Court with false allegations after sighting him at the burial ceremonies of a senior member of the bar last month in Benin City riled the judiciary and raised the stake for today’s judgement. All eyes will therefore be on the seven-man Supreme Court panel that would adjudicate the matter. The panel is expected to leave no stone unturned in its verdict.
However, Governor Okpebholo remains unperturbed as he eagerly awaits the final affirmation of his election victory and the confirmation of his four-year term as governor of Edo State, which the people insisted would help him to focus on governance and deliver democratic dividends.
Mr. Sebastine EBHUOMHAN is an award-winning journalist and a media consultant from Edo State. He can be reached on: usie007@yahoo.com and 08037204620.
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