The United States of America has expressed its concerns over recent tribunal judgement affirming the victory of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
Apples Bite reports that a three-member panel of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, on Wednesday, dismissed the three petitions, including that of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, the Accord Party and the Action Alliance (AA), for lacking merit.
The petitioners had alleged irregularities, including over-voting, lack of ballot serialisation, errors in collation, miscalculations in results and non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022.
Reacting to the judgment in a statement issued through its Mission in Nigeria, the United States said it expressed shock that, despite the electoral irregularities, the tribunal affirmed the election of Okpebholo as governor.
In a statement shared on the Embassy’s official X account, the United States pointed to “serious lapses in the collation process” that have alarmed civil society groups and election observers alike.
Ambassador Mills reiterated his earlier statement on September 24, underlining the necessity of transparency and due process to maintain public confidence in democratic institutions.
Reaffirming its commitment to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria, the United States said it would continue to monitor closely the situation of legal process in the Edo governorship election.
The statement reads: “The U.S. Mission in Nigeria is following the Edo election appeal process closely, particularly given civil society’s concerns about critical issues related to the election, such as ‘serious lapses in the collation process’ that were observed.
“[https://tinyurl.com/485xxzfk ] Ambassador Mills reiterates his statement of September 24 that transparency and due process are crucial to maintaining public confidence in any democratic system. The United States reaffirms our commitment to supporting free, fair, transparent, and credible elections in Nigeria and will continue to monitor the situation closely.”
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