Edo Governorship Tribunal Verdict Sparks Outrage as PDP Alleges Judicial Bias
posted 3rd April 2025
Edo Governorship Tribunal Verdict Sparks Outrage as PDP Alleges Judicial Bias
3 April 2025
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has fiercely condemned the recent judgement of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, branding it a "miscarriage of justice" and a "violation of judicial impartiality." In a strongly worded press statement released on Thursday, the party’s national leadership claimed that the tribunal’s decision undermined the will of the people of Edo State and dealt a blow to public confidence in Nigeria’s democratic process.
The controversy stems from the tribunal’s ruling on the outcome of the 21 September 2024 governorship election in Edo State. The PDP insists that its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, emerged victorious, having secured the highest number of valid votes. However, the party alleges that the election was marred by irregularities, including the wrongful allocation of votes to the rival All Progressives Congress (APC) and the arbitrary cancellation of valid PDP votes—claims it says were substantiated by evidence presented to the tribunal.
In its statement, signed by National Publicity Secretary Hon. Debo Ologunagba, the PDP expressed dismay that despite what it describes as "overwhelming evidence" and the tribunal’s own findings of electoral manipulation, the judgement inexplicably favoured the APC. "It is very disturbing that the Election Tribunal contradicted itself by coming to a conclusion that is at variance with its own findings," the statement read. The party warned that such inconsistencies pose "a major threat" to Nigerians’ trust in both democracy and the judicial handling of electoral disputes.
The PDP argued that democracy can only flourish when the rule of law is upheld and judicial bodies deliver verdicts that reflect the facts and evidence before them. "It is instructive to note that democracy can only thrive in an atmosphere of adherence to the Rule of Law and adjudication of issues which can only be accepted by the people when indeed a tribunal of such nature impartially apply the law," the statement added.
Undeterred, the PDP and Dr. Ighodalo have vowed to challenge the tribunal’s decision at the Court of Appeal, expressing confidence that a "conscientious judicial review" will overturn the verdict and restore what they describe as the mandate freely given by Edo State voters. "Consistent with PDP’s avowed belief in the capacity of the judiciary to, in appropriate cases, ensure that justice is done, our Party and candidate are proceeding to the Court of Appeal," Ologunagba stated.
In the meantime, the PDP has urged the people of Edo State to remain steadfast and not allow the tribunal’s ruling to erode their faith in the judiciary or Nigeria’s democratic institutions. "The PDP calls on the people of Edo State to remain resolute and not allow the verdict of the Election Tribunal to dampen their confidence," the statement concluded, promising that the party would continue its fight to reclaim what it believes is a stolen victory.
