The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has declared the testimonies of the All Progressive Congress (APC) witnesses at the Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led Edo Governorship Election Petition Tribunal as conflicting. 
  
The witnesses presented by the APC, the party said, offered conflicting testimonies over the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as Governor of Edo State. The PDP and its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo is challenging the declaration of Okpebholo as the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the Tribunal.
  
The APC’s Collation Agent for Esan North East LGA, Theophilus Afuda, initially swore in his witness statement that there were no incidents of over-voting during the September 21st governorship election. 
  
However, under cross-examination by PDP’s lead counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), Afuda reversed his stance, conceding that cases of over-voting and non-serialisation of electoral materials were evident in key exhibits, including certified copies of result sheets and Form EC25B.
  
He further confirmed that INEC failed to document the serial numbers of ballot papers, result sheets, and other sensitive election materials in the required forms—an omission the PDP argues renders the results invalid in the affected polling units.
 
 “Can you confirm that the prescribed form for recording serial numbers before voting is EC25B?” Owonikoko asked.
“Yes, My Lord” Afuda responded.
“Take a look at the Form EC25B before you. There is no entry of serial numbers for result sheets or BVAS machines. Can you confirm?”
  
After reviewing the document, Afuda admitted: “I can’t find any entries, My Lord.”  Also, another APC witness, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri, who served as the party’s collation agent for Oredo LGA, under cross-examination, acknowledged that the final results INEC used to declare Okpebholo winner did not match the polling unit results uploaded onto the iREV portal.
  
He further admitted that while collation agents were required to verify results before they were recorded into Form EC8C when presented with the polling unit results used to collate the final figures INEC announced, they lacked the signatures of party agents and did not match the signed original EC8A results from polling units which were uploaded onto iREV.
  
“These results are strange, My Lord. I do not know where they emanated from,” Engr. Iduseri confessed, prompting murmurs across the courtroom.  Similarly, Frank David, the party’s witness from Owan West LGA, under cross-examination, acknowledged that INEC presiding officers were required to document the serial numbers of sensitive electoral materials, such as ballot papers and result sheets, in Form EC25B before voting began—but admitted they failed to do so.
  
This procedural omission, already a focal point in the PDP’s case, further fueled arguments that the electoral process was compromised. As the PDP strengthened its case, Hon. Ifaluyi-Isibor, a PDP chieftain said: “We knew the APC would be unable to defend their electoral heist, so we are not surprised that their witnesses are confirming that the election was rigged. In fact, we are grateful to the APC’s witnesses for telling the truth under oath.
  
“For us, the issue is a simple one: if you remove all the invalid votes from INEC’s failure to record sensitive materials, cancel polling units where over-voting occurred, and collate the correct results, Barr. Asue Ighodalo clearly won the election.   “We hope the tribunal agrees, as every claim we have made is backed by certified, documentary evidence.”
 
 MEANWHILE, the tribunal has adjourned the case to Thursday, February 13, 2025, for the continuation of hearings, just as the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is lining up 28 witnesses to testify and tender exhibits before the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
 
The party made the disclosure yesterday after it opened its defence to the petition seeking to nullify the outcome of the governorship election held on September 21, 2024, which was declared in favour of its candidate, Governor Monday Okpebholo.
  
Among four witnesses the APC produced before Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led’s three-member panel included those that served as its Local Government Collation Agents, during the disputed election.
 
The witnesses, who were led in evidence by APC’s team of lawyers led by Mr. Emmanuel Ukala, took turns to explain why the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cancelled results from some polling units within their respective local councils.
  
According to the witnesses, INEC officials had, during the collation process, discarded all the results that emanated from polling units where over-voting occurred.