Accord Party Candidate Challenges Edo Governorship Election Results

BENIN CITY – Dr. Bright Enabulele, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party (AP) in the recently concluded Edo State governorship election, has filed a petition at the Election Tribunal challenging the outcome of the exercise. He alleges that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) committed fraud to favor the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, who was declared the winner.

Enabulele claims the results were manipulated, citing his own experience at Ward 5, St. Saviour Ivbiyeneva Primary School, Unit 1 in the Ikpoba/Okha local government area. He stated that although he voted on live television, the official results announced by INEC recorded zero votes for him at that polling unit.

Speaking to journalists in Benin City after his legal team submitted the petition, Enabulele demanded that the tribunal either declare him the winner or annul the entire election and conduct a fresh one. He argued that the electoral process was marred by “fraud, intimidation, and deliberate announcement of wrong results by INEC.”

The petition, he clarified, is against both INEC and the APC candidate, based on what he described as the non-compliance of the electoral process. “My mandate was stolen,” he asserted, alleging widespread malpractice during the election.

Enabulele also criticized a recent court order obtained by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to inspect the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS), which he believes should remain as evidence to be presented in court. “Nobody should be given access to the BIVAS,” he argued. “Democracy is about the will of the people, and it is not about winning or losing but ensuring that the will of the people stands.”