The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Edo State has said the lack of substantial evidence by the Peoples Democratic, PDP to back up its petition against the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo will force the party to abandon it at the tribunal in the coming days.
APC expressed optimism that PDP may do away with its petition following lack of substantial evidence to support it as reflected in the alleged inadequacies of the testimonies of the witnesses it presented at the Tribunal.
The APC optimism came on the heel of dismissal of petitions filed by the Action Democratic Party (ADP), Zenith Labour Party, ZLP and Allied People’s Movement (APM) by the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja.
The dismissal of the petitions was handed down on Friday, following their sudden withdrawal against the APC and Governor Monday Okpebholo.
Comrade Wisdom Isaac who spoke on behalf of the petitioners had explained that their decisions to withdraw from the cases stemmed from a desire to prioritize the welfare and development of Edo State.
He underscored the importance of maintaining peace for the flourishing of the state, emphasizing that the petitioners did not intend to disrupt the governor’s efforts in leading the state.
He acknowledged that there will be future opportunities to demonstrate their zeal to lead the state as they set their sights on the 2028 gubernatorial election.
Counsel for the Allied People’s Movement, Jackson Ehiabhi echoed the same sentiments, asserting that the petitioners chose to avoid distracting the governor from his responsibilities, placing the well-being of Edo State above their individual ambitions
With the tribunal’s dismissal of the petitions, a total of four cases have now been put to rest, with the focus shifting towards the petition filed by the PDP.
The APC, however, said it is hopeful that PDP will follow suit by withdrawing its petition the way other parties did, having been faced with real facts that their allegations lacked substantial foundation as evidenced in the weak testimonies of their witnesses at the tribunal.
In the meantime, APC and Governor Monday Okpebholo are expected to open their defense against the PDP petition to justify their victory at the last year gubernatorial election.