The Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal has scheduled its judgment for Wednesday, April 2, 2025, according to.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the 2024 election. Okpebholo triumphed over Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP).

The tribunal had reserved judgment in the petition filed by the PDP and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, who are challenging Okpebholo’s victory. They are alleging electoral irregularities such as over-voting, ballot non-serialization, improper collation, and computation errors.

Throughout the hearings, the petitioners called 19 witnesses and subpoenaed a Senior Technical Officer from INEC’s ICT department, who presented 154 BVAS machines to support the over-voting claims.

INEC, Okpebholo, and the APC are the first to third respondents in the case marked EPT/ED/GOV/02/2024. INEC did not call any witnesses to counter the petitioners’ claims. Okpebholo called one witness, while the APC called four before closing their defense.

The tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, announced that the judgment date would be communicated to all parties by the Secretary of the tribunal.

During the hearings, the petitioners’ lead counsel, Adetunji Oyeyipo (SAN), formally adopted their final written address. INEC’s counsel, Kanu Agabi (SAN), argued that the case lacked merit and urged the tribunal to dismiss it, pointing out that the petitioners’ polling unit agents had signed the result sheets and could not distinguish between what they heard and observed.

Agabi further criticized the petitioners for failing to present alternative results or credible evidence to support their claims, describing the allegations of non-compliance as weak. On behalf of Okpebholo, Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) emphasized that the APC candidate won through valid votes, countering the petitioners’ claims about non-serialization of materials and over-voting.

APC’s counsel, Emmanuel Ukala, also adopted the final address, stating that the petitioners failed to provide enough witnesses to support their case and criticized their limited focus on just five polling units out of over 4,000 in the state.

In response, petitioners’ counsel, Ken Morzi (SAN), clarified that their complaints were confined to 765 polling units and argued that the case should be assessed comprehensively, not just by the percentage of contested polling units. He stressed that their primary issue was with the transformation of 25 votes into 525 at the collation centers.

Elon Musk has responded to the allegations made by Ashley St. Clair, who accused the billionaire entrepreneur of reducing their child support payments by 60%. According to St. Clair’s claims, the drastic reduction in payments forced her to sell her Cybertruck in order to make up for the financial gap.

The allegations were made public through a post on X (formerly Twitter), where Ashley shared her frustrations about the financial support she was receiving from Musk.

In a move that quickly garnered attention, Elon Musk took to Instagram to address the situation. In his post, Musk stated that, despite not being certain whether the child in question is his, he has still provided substantial financial support to Ashley. Musk revealed that he had given Ashley $2.5 million and that he is also sending her $500,000 annually.

He also mentioned that he is open to confirming paternity, noting that he is not opposed to finding out if the child is indeed his, though there is no court order mandating such an action.

Musk’s statement stirred up a lot of conversation online, with many reacting to the financial figures and the ongoing public drama surrounding the child support dispute. His comment about not knowing for sure whether the child is his, despite providing significant funds, has led to further scrutiny and debate about the nature of their relationship and financial arrangements.

This exchange between Musk and St. Clair highlights the complexities of high-profile relationships and the often-public nature of personal financial disputes, with both parties seemingly airing their grievances on social media platforms.

The situation has drawn a wide range of opinions, with some sympathizing with Ashley’s financial struggles, while others have questioned the level of support Musk has provided.

Regardless, the incident has undeniably sparked buzz across social media, bringing attention to both the public figures involved and the ongoing controversy surrounding child support.

Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, has called for justice following the killing of 16 hunters in Uromi, Edo State, who were traveling to the North.

Jibrin made the statement after receiving a condolence visit from Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, who expressed his condemnation of the killings and updated Jibrin on the progress of the investigation.

Governor Okpebholo disclosed that 14 suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident and would be brought to Abuja for further interrogation. He also mentioned the formation of a committee by the Edo State Government to assist the families of the victims.

In response, Jibrin commended the governor for his efforts and urged him to ensure that justice is served, leaving no stone unturned in the pursuit of the perpetrators.

He emphasized the importance of punishing those responsible to serve as a deterrent to others, stating that the primary demand from everyone was justice. Jibrin further noted that he had been in contact with the governor multiple times on the matter before their meeting.