In a shocking twist at the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has abruptly closed its case without presenting any witnesses to defend its declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
At the resumed hearing on Thursday, February 6, 2025, INEC’s counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), unexpectedly informed the tribunal that the commission would not be calling any witnesses, despite previously requesting an adjournment to do so.
The development stunned the courtroom, particularly the APC camp, which had anticipated witness testimonies to support INEC’s declaration of Okpebholo’s victory against the challenge brought by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.
On Wednesday, February 5, 2025, INEC had pleaded for more time, stating that its witnesses were unavailable and requesting an adjournment to February 6 to present five witnesses.
However, when proceedings resumed, INEC failed to produce any witnesses and unexpectedly moved to close its case.
This comes after INEC, through Anthony Itodo, a senior technical officer in its ICT department, had previously submitted 152 BVAS machines as evidence under a PDP subpoena to prove allegations of over-voting during the election.
Following INEC’s withdrawal, counsel for Governor Okpebholo and the APC, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and D. C. Dewigwe (SAN), requested an adjournment to prepare their witnesses and open their defence.
The tribunal has adjourned proceedings to February 10, 2025.
