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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has closed its case at the Edo Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, are challenging INEC’s declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the 21 September 2024 governorship election in Edo State.
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Mr Okpebholo was the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the election.
INEC, the APC and Governor Okpebholo are the respondents in the PDP’s petition to the election tribunal.
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When the matter was called on Thursday, the lead counsel to INEC, Kanu Agabi, told Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal that after careful consideration, the commission has decided not to call any witness but to close its case.
Before then, INEC had tendered five additional Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines used to accredit voters during the election.
Anthony Itodo, a senior technical officer in the commission’s ICT department, tendered the electronic devices.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the tribunal had earlier admitted in evidence 148 BVAS machines used in 133 polling units where the petitioners are disputing the election results.
They were admitted in evidence even though all the respondents objected, saying they would give their reasons in their final written addresses.
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A few days ago, the PDP and its candidate, Mr Ighodalo, closed their case at the tribunal after calling 19 witnesses. Both are insisting that the APC candidate did not win the election.
INEC had declared that Mr Okpebholo of the APC polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closet rival, Mr Ighodalo of the PDP, who scored 247, 655 in the election.
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