Edo Tribunal: Court dismisses SDP’s petition against Gov Okpebholo

The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has dismissed the petition filed by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) seeking to nullify Governor Monday Okpebholo’s election victory.

The three-member panel, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, terminated further proceedings after the SDP, through its counsel, Jackson Ehiavhie, announced its decision to withdraw the case. Ehiavhie informed the tribunal that he was acting on instructions from the party’s National Secretariat.

With no objections from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and the All Progressives Congress (APC), the tribunal promptly dismissed the petition.

The SDP was among six political parties that had initially challenged the Certificate of Return issued to Okpebholo after INEC declared him the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election. The APC candidate secured 291,667 votes to defeat 17 other contenders, including his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 247,274 votes.

Other parties that also filed petitions include the PDP, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Action Democratic Party (ADP), Accord Party (AP), and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM).

In its withdrawn petition, the SDP had argued that the election was conducted in violation of the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines. The party alleged that the failure to electronically transmit polling unit results rendered the votes allocated to Okpebholo and the APC invalid.

The tribunal’s dismissal of the petition now leaves the fate of the election in the hands of the remaining cases still being heard.