Leaked Tribunal Judgment On Edo Governorship Election Floods Internet

Barely 24 hours after summoning parties to appear before it, copies of the purported judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal have surfaced online, sparking controversy.

The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal had earlier reserved its judgment on the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo, challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

While the tribunal officially scheduled Wednesday for its verdict, leaked documents circulating online suggest a split decision (2-1) among the judges.

According to the leaked documents:

• Justice Wilfred Kpochi (Chairman) and Justice A.B. Yusuf (Member 1) dismissed the petition and upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
• Justice A.A. Adewole (Member 2) delivered a minority judgment, declaring the election invalid due to non-compliance with the Electoral Act and ordering INEC to issue a fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo (PDP).

In his dissenting judgment, Justice Adewole ruled that Governor Okpebholo was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes, citing substantial non-compliance. He recalculated the votes, asserting that:

• Ighodalo (PDP) should have 243,113 votes,
• Okpebholo (APC) should have 210,326 votes,
• This reversed the declared results in favor of the PDP candidate.

However, in the majority ruling, Justice Kpochi and Justice Yusuf held that while there was credible evidence of irregularities, the petitioners failed to prove that these irregularities substantially affected the election outcome.

Citing Supreme Court precedents, the tribunal ruled that:

1. The petitioners failed to demonstrate how the irregularities altered the results.
2. Mathematical and documentary evidence provided by the petitioners did not conclusively establish that the margin of victory was overturned.
3. The petition lacked merit and was dismissed.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Monday Okpebholo (APC) the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes.

However, the PDP and its candidate alleged that the election was rigged and conducted without substantial compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.

Their petition accused INEC of failing to serialize and pre-record sensitive election materials, which they claimed facilitated manipulation in favor of the APC.

With the official judgment expected on Wednesday, the leaked verdict has fueled tensions, raising questions about the integrity of the tribunal process.

More details to follow…