The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, bringing an end to months of intense legal battles that followed the September 21, 2024, governorship poll.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Mohammed Garba, who headed the five-member panel of the apex court, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, describing it as lacking in merit. He noted that the appellants failed to provide credible evidence to support their claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Okpebholo, did not score lawful votes in the election.
“The appeal is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit and the judgment affirms the decision of the tribunal and Court of Appeal,” Justice Garba declared.
According to the court, both the PDP and Ighodalo were unable to demonstrate that the decisions of the lower courts were perverse or unsupported by law. This verdict confirms the earlier rulings of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had previously upheld Okpebholo’s victory.
Reacting to the judgment, Governor Okpebholo expressed gratitude to the judiciary and extended a hand of reconciliation to his opponents. “Now that the legal fireworks are over, it is time to come together and focus on building the Edo of our dreams,” he said.
