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PDP governorship candidate in Edo State, Asue Ighodalo
The Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, insisting that its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, won the September 21, 2024, election. The party vowed to challenge the ruling at the Court of Appeal.
The tribunal, sitting in Abuja, had on Wednesday upheld the victory of the All Progressives Congress candidate, Monday Okpebholo, dismissing the PDP’s petition for lack of sufficient evidence.
The three-man panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, ruled that Okpebholo polled the highest number of valid votes and was duly elected.
However, the PDP, in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described the ruling as a miscarriage of justice and a betrayal of public trust.
“The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, after a thorough review of the judgment, asserts that the verdict is an absolute miscarriage of justice and a complete betrayal of the trust Nigerians, particularly the people of Edo State, invested in the Election Tribunal,” the statement read.
The party maintained that its candidate, Ighodalo, won the election, adding that the tribunal failed to uphold the overwhelming evidence presented before it.
“It is very disturbing that despite the overwhelming evidence and findings by the tribunal that the PDP was robbed of its clear victory through manipulations, including the wrongful allocation of votes to the APC and the illegal cancellation of valid votes, the tribunal still arrived at a contradictory conclusion,” the PDP stated.
The party further argued that the ruling undermines public confidence in the judiciary and democracy, stressing that electoral justice must be upheld.
“Democracy can only thrive where the rule of law is upheld, and where tribunals impartially apply the law and facts presented before them. However, consistent with our belief in the judiciary’s ability to ensure justice, our party and candidate will proceed to the Court of Appeal for a thorough judicial review.”
The PDP urged its supporters in Edo State to remain resolute and not lose faith in the judiciary, expressing optimism that the appellate court would restore what it described as the people’s mandate.
“In the meantime, we call on the people of Edo State to remain steadfast and not allow the verdict of the election tribunal to dampen their confidence in the judiciary and democracy as they await the restoration of the mandate they freely gave to our party and candidate,” the statement concluded.
