Election Tribunal: PDP Alleges Contradictory Testimonies as APC Prepares 28 Witnesses

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over inconsistencies in the testimonies given by witnesses of the All Progressives Congress (APC) before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi.

According to the PDP, conflicting statements were made by APC witnesses regarding the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as Governor of Edo State. The opposition party, along with its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, is challenging the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) declaration of Okpebholo as the winner.

One of the APC witnesses, Theophilus Afuda, who served as the party’s Collation Agent for Esan North East LGA, had initially affirmed in his sworn statement that no incidents of over-voting occurred during the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

However, during cross-examination by PDP’s lead counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), Afuda reversed his position. He admitted that evidence presented, including certified copies of result sheets and Form EC25B, revealed instances of over-voting and non-serialisation of electoral materials.

Afuda further acknowledged that INEC did not properly document the serial numbers of ballot papers, result sheets, and other sensitive election materials, as required. The PDP contends that this omission invalidates the election results in affected polling units.

Owonikoko queried, “Can you confirm that EC25B is the prescribed form for recording serial numbers before voting?”
Afuda replied, “Yes, My Lord.”
“Now, examine the Form EC25B before you. There are no entries for serial numbers of result sheets or BVAS machines. Can you confirm that?”
After reviewing the document, Afuda admitted, “I can’t find any entries, My Lord.”

Similarly, another APC witness, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri, who was the party’s collation agent for Oredo LGA, conceded under cross-examination that the final results INEC used to declare Okpebholo as governor did not align with the polling unit results uploaded on the iREV portal.

He further confirmed that collation agents were responsible for verifying results before they were recorded into Form EC8C. However, when presented with the polling unit results used in the collation, he noted that they lacked the signatures of party agents and did not match the original signed EC8A results uploaded onto iREV.

“These results are strange, My Lord. I do not know where they emanated from,” Iduseri stated, causing murmurs in the courtroom.

Another witness, Frank David from Owan West LGA, also testified that INEC presiding officers were required to document the serial numbers of sensitive electoral materials—such as ballot papers and result sheets—on Form EC25B before voting commenced. However, he admitted this process was not followed.

The PDP has maintained that these irregularities demonstrate a compromised electoral process. A PDP chieftain, Hon. Ifaluyi-Isibor, commented on the developments, stating, “We knew the APC would be unable to defend their electoral heist. It is no surprise that their witnesses are confirming that the election was rigged. In fact, we are grateful to the APC’s witnesses for telling the truth under oath.”

He continued, “The matter is straightforward: if all invalid votes resulting from INEC’s failure to record sensitive materials are removed, if polling units with over-voting are canceled, and if the correct results are collated, then Barr. Asue Ighodalo clearly won the election.

“We hope the tribunal recognizes this, as all our claims are backed by certified, documentary evidence.”

Meanwhile, the tribunal has adjourned the case to Thursday, February 13, 2025, for further hearings.

At the same time, the APC has announced plans to present 28 witnesses to testify and submit evidence before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja. The party made this known after formally opening its defense against the petition challenging the outcome of the September 21, 2024, election, which saw Governor Monday Okpebholo declared as the winner.

Among the four witnesses the APC presented before the three-member panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi were Local Government Collation Agents who participated in the election.

These witnesses, led in evidence by APC’s legal team headed by Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, explained why INEC decided to cancel results from specific polling units within their local councils.

They asserted that during the collation process, INEC officials discarded all results originating from polling units where over-voting had been detected.

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