US government ‘rejects’ tribunal judgement on Edo governorship election

The United States Government has rejected the credibility of the Edo State governorship election process that led to the tribunal’s confirmation of Monday Okpebholo as governor.

While the U.S. did not directly nullify the tribunal’s ruling, it raised strong objections to the way the election results were collated, describing the process as flawed and lacking transparency.

According to the U.S. Mission in Nigeria, reports from civil society groups such as the Kimpact Development Initiative revealed disturbing findings.

These include over 29,000 unaccounted ballots, over-voting in 382 polling units, and discrepancies in voter data across 141 polling units.

The Mission pointed to these issues as reasons for its concern over the fairness of the outcome.

It also declared that would continue to monitor the appeal process.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi, who led the three-man panel at the tribunal, had dismissed Asue Ighodalo’s petition against the APC candidate, stating that the PDP candidate failed to provide convincing evidence of manipulation.

However, the U.S. Mission’s reaction, posted on social media, cast doubt on the reliability of the election and called attention to what it described as “serious lapses” in the collation process.

The U.S. government also reaffirmed its commitment to free and credible elections in Nigeria.

It added that transparency in elections is necessary for public trust in democratic institutions.

This is not the first time the U.S. has expressed dissatisfaction with Nigeria’s electoral outcomes; in the past, it has imposed visa bans on individuals linked to election irregularities.

Asue Ighodalo, who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party, has vowed to appeal the tribunal’s judgement, insisting that the election was manipulated to favour Okpebholo, who has already been sworn in as governor.