The Court of Appeal in Abuja has postponed its ruling on three appeals and a cross appeal challenging the outcome of the September 21 governorship election in Edo State, where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.
A panel of three justices, led by Justice Mohamed Danjuma, announced that the judgment date would be communicated to all parties following the conclusion of their final submissions.
Among the appeals was one filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate Asue Ighodalo, as well as a cross appeal filed by the APC and Okpebholo.
The appellants’ lawyers urged the court to overturn the tribunal’s April 2 judgment. Representing Ighodalo and the PDP, Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, argued that the tribunal misunderstood the nature of their complaint regarding non-compliance.
Emukpoeruo pointed out that “there was no record of serial number on Form EC25B as required by Section 73(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022,” and added, “The tribunal said we required evidence of polling agents or witnesses to prove how the forms were filled or not filled.
“That was not our case. Our case was that the Form EC25B did not contain the serial number,” he said.
He contended that the tribunal was mistaken in claiming that his clients’ documents were improperly submitted and emphasized that “oral evidence was not needed in the nature of the case” his clients presented.
He further stated that their grievance was not about how the election was conducted but rather that “the results that were collated at the ward level were not the results declared at the polling units.”
On the other side, the respondents’ legal teams urged the court to uphold the tribunal’s decision and dismiss the appeals.
Onyechi Ikpeazu argued that the petition and appeal were “totally an academic exercise.” Similarly, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, for the APC, and Kanu Agabi, SAN, for INEC, supported the tribunal’s ruling and called for the appeals to be dismissed.
The court also heard two additional appeals—one brought by the Action Alliance (AA) and its National Chairman Rufai Omoaje, and another by Bright Enabulele and the Accord Party (AP).
What you should know
The legal challenge against Monday Okpebholo’s victory in the Edo governorship election revolves around claims of procedural violations and inconsistencies in result declarations.
The Court of Appeal’s forthcoming decision could have a decisive impact on the political future of Edo State.
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