Party supporters clashed yesterday at the High Court premises in Benin, Edo State as sitting/pre-hearing commenced on the petitions challenging the declaration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, as winner of the September 21, 2024 governorship poll held in the state.
In a viral video clip, supporters of different political parties were seen running in different directions within the court premises.
It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had on Sunday, September 22, 2024 declared Senator Monday Okpebholo of the APC winner of the poll, after pulling 291,667 votes to defeat candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP), Dr. Asue
Ighodalo and Barr. Olumide Akpata who scored 247, 274 and 22,763 votes, respectively.
Dissatisfied with the declaration of INEC, the PDP and six other political parties who participated in the poll approached the tribunal to challenge the declaration by the electoral umpire.
The three-man tribunal, headed by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, is expected to hear seven petitions filed by different political parties and their candidates.
The PDP, in particular, is asking the tribunal to nullify the result and, instead, declare its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, the winner of the election.
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