Benin City, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asserts that its case challenging the September 21, 2024, Edo State governorship election results has been reinforced by testimony from the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s sole witness.
During a recent tribunal session, Usman Majek, an APC polling agent from Ward 7, Unit 4 in Ovia South-West Local Government Area, acknowledged under cross-examination that over-voting occurred in his unit. According to the official Form EC8A, the APC received 108 votes, while the PDP secured 76, totaling 204 votes cast. This figure surpasses the 189 accredited voters recorded by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), indicating over-voting in violation of the Electoral Act.
Dr. Anthony Aziegbemin, Edo State PDP Chairman, emphasized that the Electoral Act mandates the nullification of results where votes exceed accredited voter numbers. He stated, “The principle is simple: when the number of votes surpasses accredited voters, the result is invalid. Today, APC’s own witness confirmed our argument.”
The PDP’s legal strategy focuses on 765 polling units where alleged over-voting and other irregularities occurred. Dr. Aziegbemin contends that if these inflated results are removed and lawful votes correctly tallied, PDP candidate Asue Ighodalo would emerge as the legitimate winner.
