JUST IN: Appeal Court Upholds Okpebholo’s Election as Edo State Governor

Gov. Monday Okpebholo

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State.

In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, a three-member panel of justices upheld the ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had earlier validated Okpebholo’s victory in the 21 September 2024 gubernatorial poll.

The appellate court dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, for lacking merit. The PDP and Ighodalo had sought to overturn the tribunal's judgment, alleging widespread irregularities, overvoting, electoral malpractices, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, the winner of the election with 291,667 votes. His closest rival, Ighodalo, polled 247,655 votes. Other candidates trailed significantly behind.

Following the declaration, Ighodalo challenged the results at the tribunal, which sat in Abuja. However, the tribunal dismissed his petition in April, citing insufficient evidence to support his claims.

Undeterred, the PDP candidate approached the Court of Appeal, insisting that the tribunal’s ruling was flawed. But the appellate court maintained that the appellants failed to substantiate their allegations.

Despite the setback, Ighodalo and the PDP still have the option to approach the Supreme Court, which is the final arbiter in governorship election disputes.

Reacting to the tribunal’s earlier verdict, PDP Chairman in Edo State, Tony Aziegbemi, described it as a miscarriage of justice that disregarded critical evidence and emboldened impunity.

With the Court of Appeal's judgment, Governor Okpebholo's mandate remains intact—pending any further legal challenge at the Supreme Court.