Governor Monday Okpebholo and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), have secured an initial victory in the series of petitions challenging their declaration as winners of the 21 September 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal dismissed a petition filed against them by the Action Alliance (AA) and Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, ruling that the case lacked merit and was frivolous.
The Tribunal held that Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, who filed the joint petition, had no locus standi (legal right) to initiate the case, noting that he did not participate in the governorship election and, therefore, lacked the authority to challenge its validity.
It further ruled that Omoaje’s grievance stemmed from his lack of recognition as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance for the purpose of nominating a candidate for the election. The Tribunal held that his claims had no basis under the Electoral Act 2022.
In the petition, Omoaje had asked the Tribunal to declare the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo and the APC as winners of the election as illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, and null and void on the grounds of non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
He also alleged corruption and claimed that Okpebholo and the APC did not secure the majority of lawful votes in the election.
Furthermore, Omoaje argued that the Action Alliance was not allowed to nominate a legitimate governorship candidate, as he had not signed the nomination form in his capacity as the party’s National Chairman.
INEC had declared that Okpebholo of the APC won 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes in the election.
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