By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has rejected the judgment of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, delivered on April 2.
The three-member tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, in the judgment, has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the Governor of Edo State.
In a statement on Sunday, PDP Chairman in Edo State, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, described the judgment as a miscarriage of justice that ignored overwhelming facts, twisted the law and rewarded impunity.
The PDP said having received and studied the certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment, it is now even more convinced that the tribunal turned the law on its head to protect a rigged process.
It claimed the tribunal abandoned its constitutional duty to deliver justice and instead constituted itself into a “fourth respondent,” inventing technicalities to sidestep the clear evidence of electoral malpractice placed before it.
“We have studied the CTC of the judgement. This judgment, with due respect to the judges involved, is a travesty. But we are not deterred.
“We are proceeding to the Court of Appeal with the facts, the law, and the will of the Edo people firmly on our side,” it said.
The PDP explained that its petition before the tribunal accused INEC of rigging the election in favour of the APC by refusing to comply with its own guidelines and by collating manipulated results across the state.
The party added that according to the petition, its candidate, Asue Ighodalo scored the majority of lawful votes and should have been declared the winner.
The PDP maintained that despite the ruling, the mandate of the people of Edo State remains with Asue Ighodalo.
It added: “Senator Monday Okpebholo, in a public statement, extended what he described as an olive branch to his rival, calling on Ighodalo ‘to join hands in unity and work together for the progress of Edo State.’
“But, the PDP remains unmoved.
The issue of an olive branch is premature. We are talking about retrieving a stolen mandate. There can be no peace without justice.”