The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja has thrown out the petition filed by the Action Alliance (AA) and its purported national chairman, Adekunle Omoaje, challenging the victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
In its ruling, the three-member tribunal panel declared that Omoaje lacked the legal standing (locus standi) to challenge the election outcome since he did not participate in the September 21, 2023 governorship poll. The tribunal further held that Omoaje’s claim of being the authentic AA national chairman – and his grievance over not nominating the party’s candidate – had no basis under the Electoral Act 2022.
Omoaje had sought to invalidate Okpebholo’s victory, alleging electoral irregularities and claiming INEC wrongfully excluded AA from fielding a candidate. INEC had declared Okpebholo winner with 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo who polled 247,655 votes.
This marks the first major legal hurdle cleared by Governor Okpebholo, with the Peoples Democratic Party’s separate petition still pending before the tribunal. Political analysts view the dismissal as strengthening the APC’s position ahead of further legal battles over the election.
The tribunal’s decision aligns with recent judicial trends dismissing petitions from non-participating candidates and parties in election disputes. Governor Okpebholo’s legal team welcomed the verdict as affirming the legitimacy of his electoral mandate.
