How PDP Violence Forced Edo Governorship Election Tribunal Relocation to Abuja

The Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has announced its relocation from Benin City to the Federal capital, Abuja due to escalating security concerns arising from repeated attacks by uninformed Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs.

In a notice dated January 24, 2025, and signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Mu’azu Ibrahim Bagudu, Esq., parties to the case were informed of the relocation.

The notice read in part: “I am directed to notify all parties that the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has been relocated to Abuja at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Airport Road, Abuja, effective from Monday, 27th January, 2025.”

The relocation, was certainly prompted by persistent intimidation and disruptions by sponsored PDP thugs who aimed to derail proceedings in their petition challenging the outcome of the 2024 Edo State Governorship Election.

The thugs had disrupted tribunal sessions on multiple occasions, creating an atmosphere of fear and insecurity inside its High Court premises location.

In one incident, a lone gunman wearing campaign T-shirt and face cap, stormed a street adjacent the Court, and chanting provocative slogans in support of the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr. Asue Akintunde Ighodalo, fired sporadic shots into the air

A legal practitioner representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, emerged victorious in the September 2024 governorship election, condemned the attacks as “a brazen attempt to undermine the rule of law and judicial independence.”

He further noted that the intimidation tactics were designed to discourage the Tribunal from delivering an unbiased verdict. “The PDP and its agents are resorting to violence because they know they have no strong case before the Tribunal. This is an affront to democracy,” he said.

Meanwhile, the PDP has denied any involvement in the attacks. A spokesperson for the party described the allegations as “baseless and politically motivated,” accusing the APC of attempting to divert attention from the substantive issues before the Tribunal.