Edo tribunal: Okpebholo closes defence after lone witness admits over-voting
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, opened and closed his case before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, after calling one witness.
The PUNCH reports that at the close of Thursday’s proceedings, after the Independent National Electoral Commission concluded its case without calling any witness to justify the September 21, 2024, election it conducted, the tribunal adjourned to Monday, February 10, for Okpebholo to open his case.
Upon the resumed hearing on Monday, Okpebholo’s counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), called the lone witness, Usman Majek, 31, from Usen in the Ovia South-West Local Government Area in Edo State, under cross-examination by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), agreed that there was over-voting in his polling unit.
He also said accreditation and voting took place simultaneously in his unit.
The witness informed the tribunal that he was an All Progressive Congress polling unit agent in the election.
Majek informed the tribunal that he lodged a complaint with the police and INEC about the result he recorded on the result sheet after signing it.
Oyeyipo had asked: “You agree that there was over-voting in your unit”? PW1 responded with a “Yes.”
After Majek’s testimony, Ikpeazu applied to close the defence of his client.
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal accordingly granted Ikpeazu’s request, as there was no objection from the petitioners (Peoples Democratic Party and Asue Ighodalo), INEC and the third respondent, the APC counsel.
The panel, thereafter, adjourned till Wednesday for the APC to open its case.
Dismissing the PDP’s over-voting allegation, the Deputy Governor, Dennis Idahosa, criticised the opposition party for filing petitions without verifying facts.
He stated that results from areas affected by over-voting were already cancelled, making the opposition’s claims baseless.
He added: “I have refused to comment on the proceeding of the tribunal before now. But today, I feel I have to address some wrong claims being made by the PDP because the area contesting the result is my constituency.
“In Unit 4, Ward 7, Usen, the results were cancelled due to over-voting, as required by law.
“Yet, the PDP petitioned against these results without knowing they were never included in the form EC8A for the unit results and form EC8B for the ward,” he explained.
He pointed out that the APC witness confirmed in court that cancelled results were not computed.
“Why will the PDP challenge results that do not exist? It shows they do not understand the process,” Idahosa said.
He accused PDP of treating the tribunal like a media campaign, rather than focusing on legal facts.
He said the PDP’s case lacked merit and expressed confidence in the judiciary to uphold the law.
