Legal proceedings at the Edo governorship election tribunal were disrupted on Monday after thugs attacked supporters of seven political parties challenging the All Progressives Congress (APC) victory during the poll in the state.
As gathered, the attack outside the courtroom marred the proceedings within the courtroom, forcing some of the party loyalists to flee the court premises to avoid being inflicted with injuries by the hoodlums that invaded the Edo State High Court.
To restore normalcy on Monday, the Nigerian Police and other security agencies responded by blocking the court entrance and setting up roadblocks on the route leading to the venue.
The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal began pre-hearing in Benin on petitions challenging the September 21, 2024, governorship election results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On September 22, 2024, INEC announced APC candidate Monday Okpebholo as the winner of the election, with 291,667 votes, defeating Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Asue Ighodalo, who polled 247,274 votes, and Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata, who scored 22,763 votes.
The PDP and six other parties filed petitions with the three-member tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, seeking to overturn the results.
The PDP, in particular, urged the tribunal to nullify the results and declare Ighodalo the winner.
The tribunal is expected to address seven separate petitions, including cases filed by the Accord Party, Alliance Party, Social Democratic Party, Allied Peoples Movement, Action Democratic Party, and Zenith Labour Party.
The tribunal was inaugurated by the National Judicial Council one week before the election, with its Secretary, Muazu Bagudu, confirming the pre-hearing schedule.
