Tribunal Dismisses Accord Party’s Petition Against Governor Okpebholo

The Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has dismissed the Accord Party’s petition claiming non-compliance regarding the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the Governor of Edo State. This follows the recent dismissal of a similar petition from the Action Alliance (AA) and Adekunle Omoaje for lacking merit.

In the Accord Party’s case, the tribunal issued four rulings.

First, led by Justice Wilfred Kpichi, the tribunal found that the Accord Party did not provide enough evidence to support their claims, ruling against them. The second ruling addressed allegations that Okpebholo did not receive the required number of lawful votes, which was resolved in favor of the Governor.

In the third and fourth rulings, the tribunal also rejected the Accord Party’s request to declare their candidate the winner of the election. The three-member panel highlighted the necessity of presenting relevant facts, citing past Court of Appeal and Supreme Court judgments.

Additionally, the tribunal criticized the Accord Party’s petition for its lack of clarity and failure to clearly state the facts, leading to the motions being struck out for vagueness.