A critical milestone has been reached in the dispute over the Edo State governorship election, which took place on September 21, 2024. The Court of Appeal, led by Justice M. A. Danjuma, has reserved its judgment on three appeals and a cross-appeal related to the election. This comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner.
The appeals and cross-appeal were filed by various parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, as well as the Action Alliance (AA) and the Accord Party (AP). The counsel for Okpebholo, Onyechi Ikpeazu, urged the court to uphold the tribunal’s ruling, which validated Okpebholo’s victory. Ikpeazu argued that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims of electoral irregularities.
Ikpeazu also addressed the issue of missing serial numbers on Form EC25B, explaining that the form is not designed to record serial numbers but rather to document the quantities of electoral materials received and returned. He pointed out that the serial numbers in question were clearly indicated on Form EC40A, which was submitted by the appellants during the tribunal proceedings.
In contrast, Robert Emukpoeruo, counsel for Ighodalo and the PDP, argued that the tribunal misunderstood the nature of the non-compliance alleged by the appellants. Emukpoeruo asserted that Form EC25B lacked the required serial numbers, which is a violation of Section 73(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022. He emphasized that the appellants’ case was not about the conduct of the election itself but rather about the discrepancies between the results announced at polling units and those collated at the ward level.
The Court of Appeal’s decision to reserve its judgment indicates that the parties will have to wait for a later date to know the outcome of their appeals. The judgment is expected to have significant implications for the future of Edo State’s governance and the country’s electoral process as a whole. As the parties await the court’s decision, tensions remain high, with each side hoping for a favorable outcome. The reserved judgment is a crucial step towards resolving the electoral dispute, and the world waits with bated breath for the final verdict.
