Edo State’s governorship election tribunal witnessed intense proceedings on Thursday as three witnesses testified, including Victor Eseigbe, a politician from Akoko Edo Local Government Area. Eseigbe, representing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alleged that the election was marred by irregularities.

Led by petitioners’ counsel Ken Mozia, SAN, Eseigbe identified and confirmed the submission of Form EC8A for 28 polling units as exhibits. However, during cross-examination, INEC’s counsel Kanu Agabi, SAN, questioned Eseigbe’s role, pointing out that he didn’t sign Form EC8B for Ward 9.

The tribunal, which has been relocated to Abuja due to previous reports of violence at the original venue in Edo, is examining the petition filed by Dr. Asue Ighodalo and the PDP, who are contesting the election victory of Gov. Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

During the hearing, Eseigbe confirmed the submission of Form EC8A for 28 polling units, including certified and agents’ copies as exhibits. However, his testimony faced scrutiny during cross-examination by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s counsel, Kanu Agabi, SAN. Agabi challenged the authenticity of Eseigbe’s claims, noting that he did not sign Form EC8B for Ward 9, which is critical for ward collation. Eseigbe defended his decision not to sign, citing observed irregularities.

Further discrepancies were highlighted when APC’s counsel, Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN, pointed out contradictions between the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) reports and the figures declared by INEC. For instance, while Eseigbe stated that 71 voters were accredited in Unit 001 of Ward 1, the BVAS records indicated 252 accredited voters. Similar inconsistencies were noted in Unit 003, where BVAS recorded only 116 accredited voters, despite 262 registered voters.

Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, representing Gov. Okpebholo, also raised concerns about inconsistencies in the submitted documents, particularly regarding the figures in Forms EC8A, EC8B, and EC8C. Despite the defense’s objections to the admission of the witness’s agent tag as evidence, the tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, ruled in favor of the petitioners, allowing the document to be entered into evidence.

Another witness, Oyigwe Imasue, a PDP agent from Oredo Local Government Area, corroborated that a certified true copy of an election result was included in his witness statement. His testimony was met with rigorous questioning from the defense, particularly regarding his credibility and involvement in the collation process.

The third witness, Anthony Itodo, a Senior Technical Officer from INEC’s ICT Department, provided the tribunal with the BVAS machines used in 133 polling units. He confirmed his presence during the election and the use of these devices.

The tribunal has admitted the subpoena documents presented by Itodo as evidence and has reserved its ruling on objections raised by the respondents. The proceedings are set to continue on Friday as the tribunal delves deeper into the allegations surrounding the governorship election.