BREAKING: Edo Tribunal Dismisses Action Alliance’s Election Petition Against Governor Okpebholo

Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have achieved an early legal win in the ongoing legal battle over the outcome of the 2024 Edo State governorship election.

On Wednesday, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal dismissed a petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and Adekunle Rufai Omoaje. The tribunal ruled that the petition lacked merit, describing it as frivolous and without foundation.

In its judgment, the Tribunal determined that Omoaje, who brought the petition, lacked the legal standing to challenge the election results. It highlighted that Omoaje did not participate in the election and therefore had no legal right to dispute its outcome.

The petitioner’s grievances stemmed from his claim of being overlooked as the legitimate National Chairman of the Action Alliance, which he argued prevented him from nominating a candidate for the governorship race. The Tribunal ruled that this claim had no legal basis under the provisions of the Electoral Act of 2022.

Omoaje had called for the annulment of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo and the APC as the winners, alleging that the election was marred by corruption and violations of the Electoral Act. He further contended that Okpebholo and the APC did not secure a majority of legitimate votes.

In the official results, INEC declared Okpebholo as the winner, with 291,667 votes, while his nearest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), garnered 247,655 votes.