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Leaked Tribunal Judgment Sparks Celebration in Edo APC as Okpebholo Leads

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Excitement erupted among Edo State APC supporters on Sunday evening following the circulation of a leaked draft judgment from the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal. The document, which appeared in a WhatsApp group of senior party members, reportedly shows a 2-1 majority ruling in favor of Governor Monday Okpebholo.

According to the leaked judgment, the tribunal dismissed the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, citing a lack of sufficient evidence that electoral non-compliance significantly impacted the election outcome. Legal precedents such as Oyetola v. Adeleke and Atiku v. INEC were referenced to support the ruling. This development comes as Okpebholo deals with political and security concerns, including recent killings in Uromi, making the expected verdict a relief for his administration.

However, the leaked document also reveals a dissenting opinion from one of the justices, who ruled in favor of Ighodalo. The judge argued that widespread irregularities affected over 500 polling units and that a proper vote recalculation would have placed Ighodalo ahead. Based on this, the dissenting justice recommended that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) revoke Okpebholo’s certificate of return and issue a new one to Ighodalo.

The leak surfaced just days before the tribunal’s official ruling scheduled for Tuesday, April 2. While such leaks are uncommon, the spread of confidential documents via social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram has made premature disclosures more frequent.

Within the APC, celebrations have begun, with reports indicating that party leaders have instructed acting local government chairmen to mobilize supporters from all 18 local government areas for a “solidarity visit” to Abuja, widely interpreted as preparations for a victory celebration. Meanwhile, PDP officials have remained reserved, dismissing the leak as mere speculation. A close aide to PDP State Chairman Tony Aziegbemin stated that the party would wait for the official court ruling before making any statements, emphasizing that APC is known for propaganda.

 

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