The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have dismissed as fake the purported copies of the Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal judgment that circulated online on Tuesday.
APC Publicity Director, Bala Ibrahim, expressed confidence in his party’s victory, alleging that the PDP was behind the leaked fake judgment to preempt an unfavorable ruling. Conversely, PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, accused the APC of orchestrating the leak to gauge public reaction. He maintained that the tribunal proceedings suggested a favorable outcome for the PDP.
The three-man tribunal, sitting in Abuja, announced on Tuesday that it would deliver its ruling today (Wednesday) on the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo. They seek to overturn the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of APC’s Governor Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election. INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes against Ighodalo’s 247,655.
PDP’s Claims and Tribunal Proceedings
The PDP and Ighodalo contested the election results, alleging irregularities, including over-voting and errors in collation. They argued that the election was conducted in violation of the Electoral Act and presented 19 witnesses, along with a Senior Technical Officer from INEC’s ICT Department, who provided 154 BVAS machines as evidence.
In response, the APC presented four witnesses, while INEC opted not to call any. One of APC’s witnesses, Usman Majek, admitted under cross-examination that over-voting had occurred.
Following the conclusion of hearings on March 3, the tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, reserved judgment until Tuesday’s announcement that the ruling would be delivered today.
Alleged Judgment Leak Sparks Controversy
Shortly after the tribunal’s announcement, copies of a purported judgment surfaced online, suggesting a split decision. Osadolor accused the APC of leaking the document to test public sentiment, warning President Bola Tinubu against interfering in the judicial process.
“The APC owns the judgments and is behind the leaked document. They want to test the waters. The President and judiciary must ensure justice prevails,” Osadolor stated.
He further criticized the APC and INEC for failing to present substantial witnesses before the tribunal and expressed confidence that the PDP would be declared victorious.
APC Responds to Allegations
APC’s Bala Ibrahim refuted the PDP’s claims, stating that the opposition party should be held responsible for the leak. He argued that the PDP’s knowledge of the judgment’s movement raised suspicions about their involvement.
“The PDP must answer how they knew about the judgment’s movement before its release. The APC has no access to the tribunal’s proceedings before the official ruling,” Ibrahim asserted.
Similarly, Edo APC Publicity Secretary, Peter Uwadiae-Igbinigie, dismissed the leaked judgment as misinformation spread by Okpebholo’s opponents, urging the public to disregard it.
“The judgment remains sacrosanct until delivered in open court. The fake news being circulated is a desperate attempt to mislead the public,” he said.
With tensions running high, all eyes are on the tribunal as it delivers its much-anticipated ruling today.
