The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

 

Delivering judgment on Thursday, a three-member panel of the appellate court unanimously upheld the earlier decision of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had validated Okpebholo’s victory in the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

 

The court ruled that the PDP and Mr. Ighodalo failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims of electoral malpractice, overvoting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act, as alleged in their petition.

 

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), as the winner of the closely contested poll, having polled 291,667 votes against Ighodalo’s 247,655. Other candidates trailed behind with only a fraction of the votes.

 

Dissatisfied with the result, Ighodalo challenged the outcome at the Election Petition Tribunal, which sat in Abuja. However, the tribunal dismissed his petition in April, ruling that the allegations were unsubstantiated.

 

Undeterred, Ighodalo proceeded to the Court of Appeal, insisting that the tribunal erred in law and fact. But in its ruling on Thursday, the appellate court found no merit in the appeal and affirmed Okpebholo’s election.

 

The PDP, through its Edo State Chairman, Tony Aziegbemi, had earlier described the tribunal’s verdict as a “miscarriage of justice,” alleging that it ignored critical facts and rewarded electoral irregularities. However, the Court of Appeal disagreed with this position, reinforcing the legitimacy of the APC victory.

 

While the decision of the Court of Appeal is significant, it is not final. Under Nigerian law, Mr. Ighodalo and the PDP still have the option to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court, which serves as the ultimate arbiter in election-related disputes.

 

Governor Okpebholo hailed the ruling as a victory for democracy and the will of the people, while calling for unity and cooperation across party lines for the development of Edo State.

 

Mored details to follow