
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has rejected the judgment of the Court of Appeal and announced that the verdict will be contested at the Supreme Court.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja had upheld the election of Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, ruling that the poll was validly conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
On Thursday, the appellate court held that Governor Okpebholo was duly returned and declared the winner of the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.
Justice Mohammed Danjuma, who delivered the judgment in the appeal filed by the PDP and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, stated that the appeal lacked merit and subsequently dismissed it in its entirety.
Justice Danjuma affirmed that both the PDP and Ighodalo failed to establish any miscarriage of justice in the earlier judgment of the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal, which had also dismissed their petition.
The Court of Appeal judgment was a unanimous decision by the three-man panel of justices.
The ruling cements the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s grip on Edo State, following Okpebholo’s declaration as the winner of the highly contested September 21, 2024, governorship election.
He polled 291,667 votes to defeat his closest rival, the PDP’s Asue Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes. Labour Party candidate Olumide Akpata placed a distant third with 22,763 votes.
Okpebholo secured victory in more than 10 of the state’s 18 local government areas, while Ighodalo managed narrow wins in the remaining councils.
Following his defeat at the polls, Ighodalo challenged the election outcome at the tribunal, seeking to nullify Okpebholo’s victory. However, the tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, dismissed the petition for lack of credible evidence. The panel noted that the PDP and other petitioners failed to call essential witnesses—such as presiding officers or voters—to substantiate their claims of irregularities.
Justice Kpochi ruled that mere allegations of non-compliance, without solid proof from polling units or firsthand testimonies, could not invalidate a properly conducted election.
Still dissatisfied, Ighodalo proceeded to the Court of Appeal. With Thursday’s judgment, his legal challenge now hinges on the Supreme Court — the final arbiter in electoral disputes.
Reacting to the verdict, Ighodalo rejected the appellate court’s ruling and vowed to take his case to the Supreme Court, signalling yet another legal showdown in the Edo governorship saga.
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