Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have secured a legal victory as the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal dismissed a petition challenging their win in the September 21, 2024, election.
The petition, filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, was struck out on the grounds that it lacked merit.
The tribunal ruled that Omoaje had no locus standi to file the petition, as he did not participate in the governorship election.
According to the tribunal’s judgment delivered on Wednesday, Omoaje’s case was primarily based on his claim of not being recognized as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA) for the purpose of nominating a candidate. However, the tribunal held that his claims had no legal foundation under the Electoral Act 2022.
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Omoaje had sought to nullify the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo as the winner, alleging electoral malpractice and non-compliance with the law.
He also argued that the APC candidate did not secure the majority of lawful votes.
Additionally, he contended that AA was denied the opportunity to field a valid candidate, as his signature as the party’s chairman was missing from the nomination form.
INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,655 votes.
