From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.
The party, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the judgment was allegedly a betrayal of the trust Edo people had in the tribunal.
The PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, had challenged the declaration of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship poll by the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC).
However, the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, in its verdict on the disputed gubernatorial poll, affirmed the election of Okpebholo as the governor of the state.
Nonetheless, the party, while insisting that Ighodalo won the contest, said the tribunal’s judgment would be challenged at the Court of Appeal.
“It is very disturbing that despite the overwhelming evidence and findings by the tribunal that the PDP was robbed of its clear victory at the election through manipulations, including wrongful allocation of votes to the APC, arbitrary and illegal cancellation of valid votes won by the PDP, the tribunal contradicted itself by reaching a conclusion that is at variance with its own findings.
“More distressing is that this judgment by the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal constitutes a major threat to the confidence Nigerians have in democracy and adjudication of electoral matters.
“It is instructive to note that democracy can only thrive in an atmosphere of adherence to the rule of law and adjudication of issues, which can only be accepted by the people, indeed, a tribunal of such nature impartially applies the law, the facts and body of evidence made available to it at proceedings
“However, consistent with the PDP’s avowed belief in the capacity of the judiciary to ensure that justice is done, our party and candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, are proceeding to the Court of Appeal where we believe that there will be a conscientious judicial review of the matter to give justice to the people of Edo State,” the PDP stated.
But for the All Progressives Congress (APC), the judgment was an affirmation of the will of Edo people and congratulated Okpebholo and his deputy, Dennis Idahosa.
According to the party’s national publicity secretary, Mr. Felix Morka: “This landmark judgment validates the overwhelming support of the Edo electorate for the APC’s candidate in the September 21 gubernatorial election.
“It also stands as an affirmation of the popular will of the good people of Edo. We applaud the judiciary for its well reasoned decision in the matter, underscoring its independence, professionalism and commitment to strengthening democracy in our country,” Morka said.
He expressed gratitude to the people of Edo for supporting the APC during the election and for their patience and sustained support through the litigation.
He also expressed confidence that the tribunal victory would further energise Okpebholo, who was already saturating the state with good governance and dividends of democracy.
Morka urged the governor to do more for the Edo electorate and translate President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda into meaningful benefits for all in the state.
“We remain thankful to President Tinubu, our visionary and dogged achiever, for his exceptional leadership of our great party,” he said.
