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Gov Poll: Confusion As Copies Of Edo Tribunal Judgement Surfaces Online

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Barely 24 hours after summoning parties to appear before it, copies of the purported judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has flooded the internet.

The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal had on March 3, reserved its judgment on the case the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and its candidate, Mr Asuerinme Ighodalo, filed to challenge the outcome of the governorship poll that was held in the state on September 21, 2024.

The panel had in the early hours of Tuesday, directed the parties to appear before it on Wednesday for the judgement.

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However, in what appeared as a leakage, copies of the judgement made their way into the internet, indicating a two-to-one split in the decision of the tribunal.

According to the documents that were sighted on Tuesday, while Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Kpochi, and member 1 of the tribunal, Justice A. B. Yusuf, dismissed the petition and affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo, the third member of the panel, Justice A. A. Adewole, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue fresh Certificate of Return to Ighodalo of the PDP as the authentic winner of the poll.

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In the said minority judgement, Justice Adewole held that Governor Okpebholo’s election was invalid by reason of non-substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act.

He held that the 2nd Respondent, governor Okpebholo, was not duly elected by a majority of lawful votes cast and proceeded to nullify his return as the winner of the gubernatorial contest.

The petitioners case was not rebutted and showed unit by unit, how the actual total should be 243,113 votes, while the 2nd Respondent’s tally should stand at 210, 326 votes- a clear reversal of the declared result,” Justice Adewole was credited to have held in the leaked documents.

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However, in the lead and majority decision of the tribunal, its Chairman, Justice Kpochi, held that “while there was credible evidence of non-compliance particularly concerning section 73(2) (failure to record serial numbers in EC 25B) and section 51(2) (over-voting) the petitioners failed to demonstrate that these breaches substantially affected the outcome of the election as required under section 135(1) of the Electoral Act.

“On the issue of the majority of lawful votes, the petitioners established instances of incorrect collation and exclusion of results. However, their mathematical and documentary evidence did not conclusively establish that the margin of lead was overtaken or that they scored the highest number of lawful votes.”

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Relying on the Supreme Court decided cases in Oyetola Vs Adeleke, 2023, 10NWLR (Pt 1892), as well as Atiku Vs INEC (2023), 19NWLR, pt. 1927, the panel held that the petitioners failed to prove not only that non-compliance occured, but also that it was substantial enough to have affected the result of the election.

Adding that the petitioners ought to have tied every complaint to figures, demonstrated the net effect of each infraction and shown that for the violation the outcome would have changed.

We find that the petitioners have not discharged the dual burden to the satisfaction of the law.

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“Accordingly, the petition lacks merit and is hereby dismissed,” the document further read.

It will be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared that Okpebholo of the APC secured a total of 291, 667 votes to defeat his closet rivalry, Ighodalo of the PDP, who got a total of 247, 655 votes.

Dissatisfied with the outcome of the poll, the PDP and its candidate approached the tribunal, alleging that it was not conducted with substantial compliance with provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.

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In the petition marked: EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024, it was alleged that Governor Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of lawful votes that were cast at the election.

It was equally the contention of the petitioners that INEC failed to serialise and pre-record some of the sensitive materials that were deployed for the poll, a situation they said aided the rigging of the election in favour of the APC and its candidate.

 

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Boko Haram Once Nominated Muhammadu Buhari As Negotiator – Jonathan Revealed

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan on Friday, disclosed that Boko Haram insurgents once nominated the late ex-President Muhammadu Buhari as their negotiator.

Jonathan said Boko Haram chose Buhari to negotiate with the Nigerian government on their behalf.

He made the disclosure while speaking at the public presentation of Scars, a book authored by former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor (retd.), in Abuja.

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Jonathan said the insurgents named Buhari after his then-administration set up several committees to explore dialogue with the group.

Jonathan said: “One of the committees we set up then, the Boko Haram nominated Buhari to lead their team to negotiate with the government.

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“So I was feeling that, oh, if they nominated Buhari to represent them and had a discussion with the government committee, then when Buhari took over, it could have been an easy way to negotiate with them and they would have handed over their guns. But it was still there till today.”

Jonathan noted that the inability of Buhari to eradicate Boko Haram terrorists showed that the crisis was more complex than often portrayed.

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Edo: Pandemonium As NDLEA Operatives Chase Escaping Driver With Shooting

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There was pandemonium at Oka Market, Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, Friday, as operatives of the State Command of Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) shot sporadically in chase of an escaping driver.

In the course of the commotion, traders and residents took to their heels, probably to avoid being hit by stray bullets, while others were confused, not sure of what caused the sporadic gunshots.

The sporadic gunshots which lasted more than five minutes at the gate of the NDLEA Head Office, by Oka Market, followed a hot chase of an articulated vehicle driver who was said to have brushed their (NDLEA) vehicle.

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The driver, who reportedly brushed the NDLEA vehicle refused to stop for negation, which prompted officers at the scene to alert their colleagues who waited at the alert.

According to eyewitnesses, as the escaping articulated driver approached the NDLEA office, officers who were said to have been alerted by their colleagues pursuing the trailer began to shoot.

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Seven of the tyres of the trailer were deflated by bullets of the NDLEA operatives yet the driver refused to stop.

The officers continued to shoot while pursuing him, until he was caught.

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A source said that the driver brushed their vehicle on the way, and that every effort by the officers to stop him so they could settle the matter proved abortive; hence the gunshots and deflation of the tires.

“It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tires, he was still running, but we caught him and they are bringing him back to our office,” he concluded.

Calls and messages sent to the commander, Edo State NDLEA Command, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to as at when filing this.

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JUST IN: Court Bars Police From Enforcing Tinted Glass Regulation

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The Federal High Court sitting in Warri has issued an order directing the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police to maintain the status quo in the ongoing case concerning the controversial tinted glass permit.

The case, Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025: John Aikpokpo-Martins v. Inspector-General of Police & Nigeria Police Force, came up for hearing today.

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Delivering the interim order, the Court directed the police authorities to respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.

Confirming the development, Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team, noted that the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined.

Details of the ruling and the next adjourned date are expected shortly.

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Further updates coming soon…

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