The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, dismissed the petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its candidate, Adekunle Omoaje, challenging the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo.
The tribunal ruled on Wednesday that the petition, which was filed against Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21, 2024 governorship election, was both meritless and frivolous.
In the petition, AA and Omoaje accused Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of engaging in corrupt practices and failing to comply with the Electoral Act.
They argued that Okpebholo did not secure the majority of lawful votes, and that INEC’s declaration of him as the winner was illegal and unconstitutional.
Additionally, the petitioners claimed that AA had been denied the opportunity to field a governorship candidate because the party’s National Chairman had not signed the nomination form.
Okpebholo, who was declared winner by INEC, secured 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who garnered 247,655 votes.
In its ruling, the three-member tribunal found that Omoaje lacked the legal standing to challenge the election, as he did not participate in the race.
The tribunal also noted that Omoaje’s claims, based on his non-recognition as AA’s National Chairman by INEC, were unsupported by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
As a result, the tribunal dismissed the petition in its entirety.
