Edo election marred by irregularities, PDP witness tells tribunal

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

The Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, in the 2024 governorship election in Edo State, dragged the Independent National Electoral Commission, the All Progressives Congress, and Governor Monday Okpebholo, before the election tribunal, challenging the outcome of the result.

At the resumed hearing, which was moved from the Edo State capital, Benin City, to Abuja, Anenih, PDP’s star witness and Director of Research and Strategy, testified before the tribunal.

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

He told the tribunal that PDP and Ighodalo are challenging the results from these units, which represent 16.7% of the total 4,519 polling units in Edo State.

Anenih told the tribunal that the irregularities were documented in his witness statement on oath, which he urged the tribunal to adopt as evidence.

He alleged that there were infractions in 320 polling units, reported to him by party agents and election experts through oral and written submissions.

Anenih added that while he could not visit all the polling units during the election, most of the evidence the petitioners relied on came from reports submitted by agents and experts.

“I personally examined the materials and other documents used during the election,” he said.

He further claimed that if lawful votes cast in the election were sincerely collated, his candidate, Ighodalo, would have emerged as the winner of the gubernatorial poll.

He also stated that most of the copies of the results provided to him by the party’s agents in the Situation Room were unsigned.

He said irregularities were found in the election documents when compared with the certified true copies of results and the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System reports obtained from INEC’s IREV portal.

He also admitted that none of the irregularities were personally documented by him.

Responding to questions from Onyechi Ikpeazu, counsel to the third respondent (Governor Monday Okpebholo), the witness said while they did not have physical access to the BVAS machines used for the election, they obtained screenshots of the data, which they tendered as evidence.

He told the tribunal that the BVAS machine was crucial in the election.

Ikpeazu, however, challenged the authenticity of the data, pointing out that the certified true copies were obtained on January 8, 2025, while the data extraction occurred on November 21, 2024.

He noted that polling unit agents are expected to reconcile results to ensure consistency with BVAS entries.

Under cross-examination by the second respondent’s counsel (APC), Emmanuel Ukala, the PW-12 stated that he did not receive results directly due to disruptions during the election. However, he added that some results eventually made their way into the collation room.

He also confirmed that he was not trained by INEC to play any role during the election. Additionally, he said some agents’ copies of results were illegible and were therefore 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, however, cut short due to the inability of Ighodalo and PDP’s counsel Adetunji Oyeyipo, to present the next witness.

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

“My Lords, this is the reason we are unable to present them today. We urge Your Lordships to give us another date. We undertake that on the next date, we will bring as many witnesses as may be convenient for the tribunal.

“We will also work assiduously to trim down our witnesses,” Oyeyipo said.

Upon the request of the petitioner’s counsel, the tribunal adjourned the hearing until Thursday, January 30.