The Edo State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal has been relocated from Benin City to Abuja due to escalating security concerns, allegedly caused by repeated attacks linked to thugs associated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
In a notice dated January 24, 2025, and signed by the Tribunal Secretary, Mu’azu Ibrahim Bagudu, Esq., the relocation to the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Abuja, was confirmed, effective Monday, January 27, 2025.
The notice stated: “I am directed to notify all parties that the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Benin City, Edo State, has been relocated to Abuja at the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Airport Road, Abuja.”
The move followed incidents of disruption and intimidation at the Tribunal premises in Benin City. Eyewitnesses reported that thugs, allegedly sponsored by the PDP, repeatedly caused chaos to derail proceedings.
In one instance, a gunman wearing a PDP campaign T-shirt fired shots into the air near the Tribunal premises, chanting slogans in support of the party’s governorship candidate, Mr. Asue Akintunde Ighodalo.
A lawyer representing the All Progressives Congress (APC), whose candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, won the September 2024 election, described the incidents as “a brazen attempt to undermine the rule of law.” He accused the PDP of resorting to violence because of their weak case before the Tribunal.
The PDP, however, has denied the allegations. A party spokesperson described the claims as “politically motivated” and accused the APC of using the Tribunal’s relocation to distract from the substantive issues of the case.
The relocation is expected to ensure the safety of all parties and allow the Tribunal to proceed without interference as it determine the fate of the September 2024 Edo governorship election.
