The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal witnessed a heated exchange between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday.
The PDP alleged that some witnesses scheduled to testify have been threatened.
Ken Mozia, SAN, lead counsel for the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, brought the issue to the attention of the tribunal, stating that despite coding the witnesses’ names using acronyms, their identities were still compromised due to their roles in the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
The APC’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, dismissed the allegations, arguing that the petitioners knew what to do if their witnesses were threatened.
The tribunal’s chairman, Justice Wilfred Kpochi, urged the petitioners to provide the respondents with the list of witnesses ahead of time.
The PDP and its candidate are challenging the declaration of Governor Monday Okpebholo’s victory, citing alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act and other malpractices.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo who secured 247,655 votes.