By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – The legal challenge against Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21, 2024, Edo governorship election has suffered a setback as the tribunal dismissed one of the petitions contesting his win.
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal ruled against a petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its claimant, Adekunle Rufai Omoaje, describing it as baseless and lacking merit.
Delivering its first judgment on Wednesday, the tribunal concluded that Omoaje had no legal standing to file the petition, as he was not a participant in the governorship race.
According to the ruling, Omoaje’s grievance was not about the conduct of the election itself but rather his lack of recognition as the National Chairman of the Action Alliance (AA), which affected his ability to nominate a candidate. The tribunal clarified that his arguments held no weight under the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022.
In his petition, Omoaje had urged the tribunal to invalidate the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) as winners, citing alleged irregularities and non-compliance with electoral laws.
He also alleged that the election was tainted by corruption and that Okpebholo did not win the majority of lawful votes. Furthermore, he claimed the AA was denied a fair chance to field a candidate, as his signature—purportedly as the party’s National Chairman—was absent from the nomination documents.
Despite the challenge, INEC’s official results remain unchanged. Okpebholo, representing the APC, secured 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who garnered 247,655 votes.