To Reassure Jittery Governor Okpebholo, Oshiomhole Storms Election Tribunal

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Barely 24 hours after the Independent Electoral Commission INEC reluctantly submitted to  the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja no fewer than 148 BVAS machines used for the September 21,2024 off-circle gubernatorial contest, Senator Adams Oshiomhole stormed the Election venue. Accompanying him were Philip Shaibu, a former Deputy Governor and other All Progressive Congress APC stalwarts. They stormed the venue  on Friday January 31,2025  in solidarity and to shore up the, alleged, seemingly sagging confidence of Governor Okpebholo.

It is widely believed that the admission of the BVAS in evidence by the  Tribunal represents a remarkable headway for the PDP in its bid to upturn the outcome of the election.

Conversely, the development is believed to have unsettled many APC members in Edo state ,who fear the possibility of the worst case scenario.

The Source reports that Governor Monday Okpepholo of the  APC was declared the winner of the gubernatorial contest after scoring 291,667 votes .

His closest rival, Chief Asue Ighodalo, of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, polled 247,655, according to the INEC.

But dissatisfied, the PDP and its candidate opted to approach the court  seeking a reversal.

The Party maintains that the  final figures of the election were manipulated in favour of the APC and its candidate,  Okpebholo.

The PDP has equally been adamant in its position that the number of votes announced were far in excess of the number of both registered voters and accredited voters at most polling units.

In all, PDP’s petition is heavily anchored on the allegation that there was general over-voting and allocation of results far above the accredited number of voters.

Not a few observers are of the strong belief that the decision of the Tribunal to admit the BVAS machines in evidence represents a turning point in the entire battle over the outcome of the election by the two contending parties.

Since the beginning of the legal brickbats, most of the APC bigwigs in Edo have not registered their presence at the tribunal venue.

This magazine gathered that the Friday visit of Senator Oshiomhole and others  was a kind of morale booster for the APC members  in the State who are said to be stunned  by the admission of BVAS.

For one ,the admission of the machines is said to be seen by many APC faithful as a major sect back.

So far, most independent reports and assessment of the polls tend to lend credence to PDP’s allegation of over-voting and outright allocation of results.

Although, Oshiomhole and other APC chieftains  did not volunteer comments on why they decided to be part of the Tribunal sitting, not a few believe that it was indeed a solidarity visit to reassure Governor Okpebholo and the Edo State APC family.

Notwithstanding the figures announced by INEC, the BVAS machines are expected to prove handy  in ascertaining the number of accredited voters during the election.