In a significant legal development, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed a petition challenging the election victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21, 2024 governorship race.
The Tribunal ruled that the petition, filed by Adekunle Rufai Omoaje of the Action Alliance (AA), lacked merit and was deemed frivolous.
In its ruling, the Tribunal stated that Omoaje, who did not participate in the election, lacked the legal standing to file the petition. “Omoaje had no locus standi to institute the case, as his petition was not based on election-related matters,” the Tribunal declared.
The petitioner had argued that the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was unlawful, citing non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
He also alleged that Okpebholo and the APC had not won the majority of lawful votes and accused the election process of corruption.
Furthermore, Omoaje claimed that AA was unable to nominate a lawful candidate due to a dispute over his position as the National Chairman of the party.
However, the Tribunal found no grounds to support these claims. The judgment further emphasized that Omoaje’s grievance regarding his recognition as the National Chairman did not meet the requirements under the Electoral Act of 2022.
With this decision, Governor Okpebholo’s victory remains upheld. INEC had declared him the winner of the election with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who received 247,655 votes.