In a legal challenge to the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election results, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented testimonies from witnesses on Tuesday, alleging electoral irregularities in three local government areas. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election, but the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, disputed the results and approached the tribunal for redress.
One of the witnesses, Kennedy Osifo, who served as the PDP local government collation officer, testified about irregularities in 76 polling units of Ward II in the Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area. He presented agents’ copies of election results alongside BVAS accreditation reports, claiming discrepancies in the scores announced by INEC, which he argued were incorrect. Osifo’s testimony was based on these documents and not personal interactions with agents.
Another witness, Adebayo Ogedegbe, testified about irregularities in 45 polling units across the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area, including incorrect vote tallies and allegations of overvoting in four units. He sought to tender agents’ copies of results to support his claims. Lucky Aroye also testified about issues in Owan West Local Government Area, alleging overvoting in nine units and problems with the recording of sensitive materials in seven units.
The INEC, Okpebholo, and APC legal teams objected to the admissibility of the documents but reserved their objections for final written addresses. The tribunal chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, provisionally admitted the documents and adjourned the hearing for further proceedings.