The Supreme Court has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected governor of Edo State in the 2024 governorship poll.
In a ruling delivered on Thursday, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, dismissed an appeal filed by Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), seeking to overturn the election results.
Justice Garba stated that the appeal lacked merit, noting that the appellants failed to prove that Okpebholo did not secure valid votes or that the earlier decisions of the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal were flawed.
“The appeal is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit. The judgment affirms the decisions of the tribunal and the Court of Appeal,” Garba declared.
Background of the Case
INEC had declared Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), winner of the Edo governorship election held on September 21, 2024. He polled 291,667 votes, defeating PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes. Labour Party’s Olumide Akpata came a distant third with 22,763 votes.
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Dissatisfied with the outcome, Ighodalo and the PDP challenged the results at the election tribunal, alleging widespread irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act 2022. They prayed the court to nullify Okpebholo’s election and declare Ighodalo as the rightful winner.
However, on April 2, a three-member tribunal led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi dismissed the petition, stating that the PDP and its candidate failed to substantiate their claims with credible evidence. The tribunal also noted that no competent witnesses were called to support the allegations.
Undeterred, the petitioners took the matter to the Court of Appeal, but on May 29, a three-member panel headed by Justice Mohammed Danjuma dismissed the appeal, again citing a lack of merit.
At the Supreme Court, Ighodalo, through his counsel Ken Mosia, maintained that he scored the majority of lawful votes and urged the court to nullify Okpebholo’s victory. However, Kanu Agabi, counsel for INEC, urged the court to dismiss the appeal entirely.
With Thursday’s verdict, the legal battle over the 2024 Edo governorship election has come to a definitive end, with Monday Okpebholo confirmed as the elected governor.
