Earth shaking revelations as the Edo Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal resumed its sittings today Tuesday, 28th January 2025 in FCT Abuja with a Data Analyst and Expert Witness appearing to testify against INEC’s declaration of Governor, Monday Okpebholo as winner of the September 21st Governorship Election in Edo State.

Recall that on Friday 24th January 2025, the Edo Tribunal Secretary, Mu’azu Bagudu announced the relocation of the Election Petition Tribunal from Benin City to Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

At the continuation of hearing in Abuja, a PDP witness and Data expert relied on his forensic examination of original agent copies and CTCs of Forms EC8A, EC8B, EC8C EC8D, including IREV results, BVAS Accreditation reports and extracts to lead evidence of over voting in 75 Polling Units across 18 LGAs in Edo State.

He also stated that the 1st Respondent INEC did not record, in the prescribed forms, serial numbers and other particulars of result sheets, BVAS Machines and other sensitive electoral materials and their failure to make the prior recording in the prescribed forms renders the election in 320 polling units invalid for failure to comply with requirement of prior recording under the Electoral Act, 2022.

Answering clearly the questions referred to him under cross examination by Counsels to the first respondents, Kanu Agabi SAN, the expert witness confirmed with mathematical accuracy that after you take away the invalid votes from the valid votes, the petitioner Dr. Ighodalo clearly won the September 21st Governorship election in Edo State.

Pressed further by Counsels to 2nd respondents (Okpebholo), Onyechi Ikpeazu SAN, the expert witness affirmed that the case of non prior recording of serial numbers by INEC is exclusively based on forms EC25B and this affected 320 Polling Units which ought to be invalidated in accordance with the Electoral Act.

A mild drama occurred during his Cross examination by Counsel to APC, E.U Ukala, the Witness was quizzed on where he obtained BVAS Accreditation reports and he showed further proof that they are duly certified as data extracts from the BVAS machine obtained by INEC in January 2025. Frustrated by this response, Counsel to APC decided to let him go without using up the time allotted for his cross examination.

The expert witness was ever willing to go on but Counsels to Respondents pleaded for adjournment to January 30th 2025.

As the crisis within the Peoples Democratic Party continues to escalate, the Board of Trustees has called for an emergency meeting for Wednesday (today) to address the ongoing issues.

Multiple sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak on the matter, exclusively informed The PUNCH that the BoT had called a meeting for members to discuss the ongoing crisis within the party and proffer solutions.

Since Umar Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s removal of Senator Iyorchia Ayu, he has faced increasing criticisms from party leaders.

The criticism has been fueled by the ongoing crisis within the PDP, with growing calls for his resignation amid the turmoil.

During the 98th National Executive Committee meeting on April 18, 2024, party leaders were unable to resolve several key issues. Among these was the proposal from the North Central region to replace the acting National Chairman with a permanent one, highlighting the deep divisions within the party’s leadership.

The 98th NEC meeting also scheduled the 99th NEC meeting for August 15 to address outstanding matters. However, this meeting, which was initially postponed to October 24, 2024, and later rescheduled for November 28, 2024, was ultimately postponed indefinitely.

In response, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, directed the National Working Committee in December 2024 to ensure that the NEC meeting was convened by February 2025 at the latest. On December 5, 2024, Wabara expressed concerns that the continued delay was eroding the trust and confidence of party members.

As the delay for the NEC meeting persisted, the leadership crisis deepened over the National Secretary position. Former youth leader of the party, Sunday Ude-Okoye, backed by some NWC members, continues to claim the position of National Secretary despite a Court of Appeal ruling stating that Senator Samuel Anyanwu should remain in the position until the Supreme Court ruled on the appeal.

One of our sources disclosed that the main agenda at today’s BoT meeting includes the urgent need for the NEC meeting, the conflict between National Secretary, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and PDP Governors Forum chairman, Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed, as well as the ongoing zonal congresses within the party.

He stated, “The issues in the PDP are getting out of hand, and in the coming days, there will be a series of meetings. On Wednesday (today) the BoT, led by former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, will meet to review some of these issues.

“The meeting is scheduled for 11am at the PDP National Headquarters, Wadata Plaza, Abuja. Some of the key issues to be discussed include the urgent need for the NEC meeting next month, the ongoing litigation over the National Secretary, the rift between Wike and Governor Bala, the outstanding Congress, and the ongoing processes for the Zonal Congress, among others.

“This will be the first PDP BoT meeting for 2025, so issues concerning the party and the situation in Nigeria will also be part of the agenda.”

In another development, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, BoT members Wabara, Senator Austin Akobundu, the embattled PDP National Vice Chairman for the South East, and several other prominent figures were absent as South East stakeholders expressed their confidence in Anyanwu as the National Secretary and leader of the zone.

Anyanwu, who chaired the meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, clarified that it was convened by the South East members of the PDP NWC, not the national leadership.

He stated that Odefa, having been allegedly expelled from the PDP, is not authorized to convene any meetings of PDP members in the South East.

Anyanwu explained that he called the meeting to offer an inclusive platform after some stakeholders were excluded from a previous meeting led by Odefa in Enugu.

He stated “In October, the former National Vice Chairman South East, Chief Ali Odefa, went and connived with some people to remove me as the National Secretary.

“He went and convinced the Governor of Enugu State, that our constitution says that I will resign for me to run because he knew that his tenure as National Vice Chairman was coming to an end, so he wanted to perpetuate himself in office. So, he sold this idea to the Governor of Enugu state, Peter Mbah, who I met and told him that it was wrong.

“He went and printed fake electoral guidelines for the primary election and took it to the governor and he bought into it without knowing the truth. Based on that, they came and told me that I should resign.

“On the 10th of November, while I was busy preparing for my election, they went and got a document from a state High Court in Enugu and based on this fake document, the judge gave an order that I am supposed to have resigned. They told me that someone else has been appointed, one Ude-Okoye has been appointed as National Secretary of the party.

“I was elected through a national convention and it is only through convention that I can be removed.

“They went ahead and told the governor because he is the only (PDP) governor from the South East, that if I became a governor, as former National Secretary of the party, that I would be too powerful and that it was better for him to continue to become the only (PDP) governor from the South East.

“On the 9th of January 2025, Federal High Court Abuja gave a judgment and it was quite explicit that that I remained the national secretary of this party until 9th of December, 2025 when my tenure will elapse.”

After a lengthy meeting, the South East Legal Adviser of the PDP, Ukpai Ukairo, read the communiqué from the South East stakeholders, stating that the region’s leaders had expressed their confidence in Anyanwu.

Ukairo stated, “The recognition of Hon. Udo Okoye as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party is hereby condemned being an exercise that is a breach of the Constitution and an affront to the rule of law because de facto and de jure the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party is His Excellency Sen. Sam Anyanwu.

“In view of the above, we recommend that the relevant lawful organs of the Peoples Democratic Party proceed immediately to ensure that the affairs of the South East Zone of the PDP is managed in accordance with the relevant sections of the Constitution of the PDP and upon this pedestal the appointment of Hon. Chidiebere Egwu Goodluck as successor to Chief Dr. Ali Odefa is hereby ratified to ensure that the Zonal Working Committee would fully be constituted to administer the affairs of the PDP, South East in accordance with the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“Based on the advice of the National Legal Adviser which is founded on nullification of the congresses in Anambra and Ebonyi States the relevant organs of the party shall immediately ensure that fresh congresses are held in accordance with the the Electoral Act and Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party.

“Arising from a review of events surrounding the assault on the office of the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party we unequivocally pass a vote of confidence on the National Secretary based on our informed conviction that he is discharging his duties in accordance with best practices in party administration.”

He also emphasised that Ali Odefa was no longer a member of the PDP and should not hold any official role within the party.

According to Ukairo, the meeting resolved that “the said meeting held on Friday, the 24th January, 2025 at Government House, Enugu, on the basis of the said notice of the Zonal Secretary was not a meeting of the structure of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Constitution arising from the following: There was no Zonal Working Committee (ZWC) preceding the Zonal Executive Committee (ZEC) Meeting and accordingly no memorandum was produced for adoption by the ZEC Meeting as required by Article 27(7) of the PDP Constitution.

“There was no proper summoning of the ZEC meeting because there is no person who lawfully summoned the meeting and presided over same in that: Chief/Dr. Ali Odefa was a member of Oguduokwor Ward in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State Chapter of the PDP.

“Arising from multiple breaches of the Constitution by Chief/Dr Ali Odefa the Ward, in accordance with the constitution and settled political norms, initiated disciplinary measures against him and suspended him.

In the process of concluding the disciplinary procedure the Ward discovered the challenge posed by Articles 57(7) and 59(3) of the Constitution of the Party and sought legal intervention.

“The Federal High Court in SUIT NO: FHC/ A1/CS/2024 nullified the said Articles of the Constitution and upheld the suspension Chief/Dr. Ali Odefa thereby paving way for the continuation and conclusion of the disciplinary procedure.

“Accordingly, the disciplinary procedure was within the period of suspension concluded, in accordance with the rules of natural justice, and he was expelled from the PDP. As at today, he has not appealed against the decision of a lawful arm of the party and the decision of the Federal High Court was never and has not been stayed.”

He added that the meeting also concluded that the zoning of South East offices, which was proposed and adopted during the meeting, is not a decision made by the official structure of the PDP.

Credit: PUNCH

The former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, like a badly broken record, has continued to point fingers at the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the festering rot in his party, and the spectacular dysfunction of opposition parties generally.

At the national conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria held in Abuja on Monday, January 27, 2025, Atiku, warned that the nation’s democracy was somewhat imperiled by judicial involvement in electoral matters. Also, without a shred of evidence, Atiku alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was paying certain opposition leaders a whooping 50 Million Naira each to discombobulate opposition parties in the country.

It was in the Atiku era as Vice President, particularly in 2003 and 2007, that the PDP conducted the worst elections in our political history. We cannot possibly forget how Atiku’s PDP heavy-handedly captured most South-West states and vowed to remain in power for 60 years. It was in those same years that Atiku’s former boss and then President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, infamously described election as a “do or die affair” in a desperate attempt to annex Lagos. If democracy was neither derailed nor endangered in those perilous days, is it now that elections are by far freer, fairer and more credible that Nigeria risks losing democracy?

The judicial branch of government is a constitutional creation like the executive and legislative branches with its constitutionally defined powers to adjudicate disputes among citizens and between citizens and the state. Atiku cannot wish away or seek to abolish enshrined power of the courts to intervene in civil disputes, including electoral disputes, in cases where the authority of the court is validly invoked by a litigant.

It is a thing of irony that Atiku, who is Nigeria’s most prolific electoral litigator, would make such a ludicrous claim that judicial involvement in electoral matters is a threat to democracy. His criticism of the courts and the electoral process rings hollow given his long history of using the courts to further his political agenda. It’s time for him to take a step back and let the democratic process unfold without his interference.

Nigeria’s democracy is far stronger than Atiku’s political ambitions. We deserve better than petty politicking and alarmist rhetoric from an elder statesman. As a veteran politician, one would expect Atiku to understand that while democracy may be about winning election, it is, more importantly, about respecting the will of the electorate and working towards the greater good of all. Atiku should focus on rebuilding his party and offering constructive solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.

Atiku’s allegation that the APC-led administration was paying out 50 Million Naira to some opposition figures is simply bogus and laughable. Atiku knows that his political desperation is responsible for the PDP’s catastrophic disintegration. Peddling rumors and unsubstantiated allegations should be beneath anyone in the standing of an elder statesman, a former Vice President and a serial contestant for the exalted office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The bizarre suggestion by opposition figures like Atiku, Peter Obi, and recently, aggrieved leaders like Mallam Nasir El-Rufai that our great Party may be complicit in the internal corrosion of opposition parties is pitiful, and only an incompetent alibi for their crass failure to manage their own affairs. They cannot govern their parties but tout their ability to govern Africa’s most populous country.

As discerning citizens, Nigerians know better than to be distracted by the false alarm and hollow allegations of desperate politicians whose only goal is shore up their political relevance in the build up to 2027 general elections.

Signed:
Felix Morka, Esq.
National Publicity Secretary
All Progressives Congress (APC)