Edo Governorship election tribunal to commence full hearing on Wednesday

The candidates of the major parties during the 2024 Edo Guber Elections

Full hearing on the petition challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as winner of the September 21, 2024 election at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal (EPT) has been slated for Wednesday.

The adjournment follows an application by counsels to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Governor Monday Okpebholo to that effect.

The petition was filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo (1st Petitioner ) and his Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) (2nd Petitioner).

When the tribunal last sat on December 21, the 3-man panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi adjourned sitting to January 13, 2025 for the hearing on the petition and other petitions before the court after concluding pre-hearing of all petitions.

Subsequently, the 1st and 2nd Respondents, prayed the court adjourn sitting to Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

The main argument of the application was that lead counsels to the two applicants would be before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, January, 2025 in a matter slated for definite hearing and that their requests also applied to other petitions against their clients before the Tribunal.

Oladipo Oshinowo, who held the brief of the lead counsel of the petitioners, Ken. Mozia SAN, did not oppose the application.

“Though we are ready and prepared to commence trials today, a copy of the letter seeking adjournment was sent to our lead counsel by the registry late yesterday, wherein the 1st and second respondents are seeking an adjournment.

“We are constrained to concede to this request for adjournment on the strength of the undertaking that such request for adjournment shall not be made by the respondents in future”, Oshinowo said.

The application was, also, not objected by, Josephine Ogagaworia, counsel to the 3rd respondent (All Progressives Congress).

Justice Kpochi then proceeded to adjourn sitting to Wednesday.

Recall that Okpebholo was declared the winner of the Saturday, 21 September 2024, polling 291,667 votes to defeat PDP’s Ighodalo, who recorded 247,274 votes.