Edo election marred by irregularities, PDP witness tells tribunal

The twelfth petitioner witness, Oseyili Anenih, within the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja, on Tuesday, mentioned the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial polls had been marred by irregularities.

The Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, within the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, dragged the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee, the All Progressives Congress, and Governor Monday Okpebholo, earlier than the election tribunal, difficult the end result of the consequence.

On the resumed listening to, which was moved from the Edo State capital, Benin Metropolis, to Abuja, Anenih, PDP’s star witness and Director of Analysis and Technique, testified earlier than the tribunal.

Underneath cross-examination by INEC counsel, Kanu Agabi, Anenih alleged widespread irregularities in 765 polling models.

He informed the tribunal that PDP and Ighodalo are difficult the outcomes from these models, which characterize 16.7% of the full 4,519 polling models in Edo State.

Anenih informed the tribunal that the irregularities had been documented in his witness assertion on oath, which he urged the tribunal to undertake as proof.

He alleged that there have been infractions in 320 polling models, reported to him by celebration brokers and election consultants by way of oral and written submissions.

Anenih added that whereas he couldn’t go to all of the polling models in the course of the election, a lot of the proof the petitioners relied on got here from experiences submitted by brokers and consultants.

“I personally examined the supplies and different paperwork used in the course of the election,” he mentioned.

He additional claimed that if lawful votes forged within the election had been sincerely collated, his candidate, Ighodalo, would have emerged because the winner of the gubernatorial ballot.

He additionally said that a lot of the copies of the outcomes offered to him by the celebration’s brokers within the State of affairs Room had been unsigned.

He mentioned irregularities had been discovered within the election paperwork when put next with the licensed true copies of outcomes and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System experiences obtained from INEC’s IREV portal.

He additionally admitted that not one of the irregularities had been personally documented by him.

Responding to questions from Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to the third respondent (Governor Monday Okpebholo), the witness mentioned whereas they didn’t have bodily entry to the BVAS machines used for the election, they obtained screenshots of the information, which they tendered as proof.

He informed the tribunal that the BVAS machine was essential within the election.

Ikpeazu, nonetheless, challenged the authenticity of the information, declaring that the licensed true copies had been obtained on January 8, 2025, whereas the information extraction occurred on November 21, 2024.

He famous that polling unit brokers are anticipated to reconcile outcomes to make sure consistency with BVAS entries.

Underneath cross-examination by the second respondent’s counsel (APC), Emmanuel Ukala, the PW-12 said that he didn’t obtain outcomes instantly attributable to disruptions in the course of the election. Nonetheless, he added that some outcomes ultimately made their approach into the collation room.

He additionally confirmed that he was not skilled by INEC to play any function in the course of the election. Moreover, he mentioned some brokers’ copies of outcomes had been illegible and had been due to this fact excluded from the petition.

After the cross-examination of the star witness, the three-man tribunal panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi discharged the witness.

The sitting was, nonetheless, minimize quick because of the lack of ability of Ighodalo and PDP’s counsel Adetunji Oyeyipo, to current the subsequent witness.

Oyeyipo requested an adjournment, citing journey disruptions which has affected most of their proposed witnesses.

“My Lords, that is the explanation we’re unable to current them right this moment. We urge Your Lordships to offer us one other date. We undertake that on the subsequent date, we are going to deliver as many witnesses as could also be handy for the tribunal.

“We can even work assiduously to trim down our witnesses,” Oyeyipo mentioned.

Upon the request of the petitioner’s counsel, the tribunal adjourned the listening to till Thursday, January 30.