Edo Election Tribunal: Another APC Witness Admits Over-Voting Non-Serialization Of Materials By INEC

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

All is still not well with the All Progressive Congress APC, as its  witnesses continue to wobble and fumble in the defence of its victory at the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal.

At the resumed hearing of the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Wednesday, February12, 2025, an APC witness once again admitted to incidences of over-voting during the September 21 ,2024 off-circle gubernatorial polls in the State

The Source reports that on Monday February 10, under cross examination, Usman Majek ,first APC ,witness at the ustice Wilfred Kpochi- led Election Tribunal had admitted to over-voting at his Usen polling unit in Ovia South West Local Government Area .

When shown the result sheet of his polling unit during the election by Counsel to APC, Majek to the shock of everybody in court, admitted incidence of over-voting ,despite endorsing the result sheet as an agent.

A stunned APC legal team was subsequently forced to sue for an adjournment to enable it re-examine its witness  presentation strategies.

But in a replay of Monday session’s drama,Theophilus Afuda, another APC witness on Wednesday admitted that there were over-voting and non-serialization of sensitive  electoral materials in some disputed polling units in Esan North East  local council of the state during the election .

Under cross examination by the PDP legal team, in his capacity as the APC Local Government Collation Agent, Afuda accepted that there were indeed some cases of over-voting.

The witness who had earlier, in his written statement, denied any knowledge of over-voting, had to recant after being shown the figures as contained in the CTC of the result sheets from some of the disputed polling units.

Similarly, Afuda conceded that during the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, did not indicate in the prescribed electoral forms prior recordings of  the serial numbers of sensitive materials used for the election in Esan North East Council, as demanded by the Electoral Act.

Expectedly, the APC legal team, uncomfortable with the situation, tried unsuccessfully to halt the cross examination,l as the Tribunal insisted on the process running its full course .

For the records, the PDP and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, had rejected the outcome of the polls on the grounds that the election figures were manipulated far above the actual number of accredited voters in favour of its rival APC.

The INEC had declared Senator Monday Okpebholo as the winner.

But in its petition, the PDP, is seeking a reversal of the outcome based on the strength of its claim that electoral figures were arbitrarily allotted to the APC.

So far, in the course of hearing the petition, the Electoral umpire has tendered before the Tribunal a total of 152 BVAS machines used for the accreditation of voters during the election.

The admission of the BVAS machines in evidence by the Tribunal, is strongly believed by many observers as having the potential to clinically resolve all issues relating to alleged over-voting, and manipulation of figures.

While the admission of the BVAS has been welcomed by the PDP, the development has been unsettling to the APC which, from all indications, has been  boxed into an uncomfortable corner in the task of defending its victory in the election.