The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal started hearing on Wednesday in the state capital of Benin City but was interrupted by gunshots.
There have also been reports of hoodlums outside the tribunal’s meeting location, where gunfire fills the air and people flee for their lives. Hearings on the petitions contesting the Edo governorship election held on September 21, 2024, in which All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Monday Okpebholo was proclaimed the victor, had begun at the tribunal.
Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the primary contestant at the tribunal. With 291,667 votes, Okpebholo was proclaimed the winner by election umpire INEC. Ighodalo received 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) finished far behind in third place with 22,763 votes.
PDP and the APC in the state traded words over the shooting incident at the tribunal venue.
APC Chairman in the state, Emperor Jarret Tenebe, alleged the “disturbing and unacceptable” incident was carried out by members of the PDP.
He said, “The Tribunal is a sacred space where justice is meant to be administered impartially. Any act of violence within its walls undermines the very foundation of our legal system and threatens the safety of all involved.”
“Regardless of political affiliation, resorting to violence to resolve disputes is never justifiable. We must all condemn such actions in the strongest possible terms.”
“Violence has no place in a civilized society, and those responsible for this heinous act must be brought to justice swiftly and without exception.”
However, the Chairman of the Edo PDP Caretaker Committee, Anthony Aziegbemi, refuted the claims of APC, accusing the party of sponsoring thugs to disrupt the tribunal.
Aziegbemi said, “The APC is clearly scared of justice, and have continued their devious ploy to frustrate our party, from reclaiming the mandate duly given to us by the good people of Edo State in the last governorship election at the Tribunal and have now resorted to deploying thugs disguised in PDP-branded attire to disrupt the legal process, while pointing accusing fingers at our party.”
“We strongly dissociate ourselves from the shooting incident that occurred today at the venue of the Governorship Election Tribunal in Benin City, the Edo State capital, and want to unequivocally state that this shameful incident is yet another in the series of clandestine efforts by the APC to frustrate the legal process and tarnish the image of our party.”
