The fallout from the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal ruling intensified, as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vowed to challenge what it described as a judicial endorsement of electoral fraud.

In a statement issued in Abuja after reviewing the Certified True Copy of the judgment, PDP Chairman in Edo State, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, described the verdict as a travesty that elevated technicalities above justice and ignored overwhelming evidence of electoral malpractice.

“We are proceeding to the Court of Appeal with the facts, the law, and the will of the Edo people firmly on our side,” Aziegbemi said, accusing the Tribunal of acting as a “fourth respondent” in the matter by allegedly inventing legal barriers to protect a flawed election.

The PDP’s petition alleges that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) manipulated the process to favour the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, by deploying fake result sheets and ignoring its own guidelines.

“The judgment failed to address what was essentially an electoral coup,” said Barrister Anthony Ehilebo, Special Adviser on Media to the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

“Tap Initiative’s forensic audit revealed that many result sheets appeared to have been filled by a single hand. Yet, INEC’s own IReV portal still shows the authentic results.

“Civil society organisations have also raised red flags. The Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership cited the compromise of INEC’s digital infrastructure, while Yiaga Africa noted serious irregularities in the collation process. The Foundation for Investigative Journalism went further, describing the election as “rigged for the APC by design.

“These reports appear to have found an audience in the international community.

“In an unusually pointed statement, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria confirmed it is following the appeal process closely, particularly in light of civil society concerns over the integrity of the vote. The Mission emphasized that transparency and due process are essential to democratic legitimacy; a signal, many observers believe, of disapproval with the Tribunal’s ruling.

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“Diplomatic sources suggest visa bans may be imposed on individuals implicated in undermining the electoral process or the judicial system’s role in addressing it.”

Despite the PDP’s outcry, Senator Okpebholo has moved to extend a hand of reconciliation, urging Ighodalo to join him in the task of building Edo State. But PDP leaders rejected the gesture, calling it premature.

“There can be no peace without justice,” said party stalwart Goodluck Osaretin. “What happened was a stolen mandate. We are determined to retrieve it through the courts.”

Osaretin expressed optimism, pointing to several precedents where initial tribunal verdicts were overturned in Zamfara, Plateau, Osun, Kano, and Bayelsa.