The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2024 Edo State governorship election, Asue Ighodalo, has strongly criticised the Supreme Court judgment affirming Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of the state, describing the ruling as a “deep betrayal.”

On Thursday, a five-member panel of the Supreme Court, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal, dismissed Ighodalo’s appeal for lacking merit.

The panel held that the appellants failed to prove claims of non-compliance with the Electoral Act, unlawful votes, and the allegation that Okpebholo was not duly elected.

Reacting to the judgment, Ighodalo expressed disappointment and disillusionment, insisting that the governorship poll held on September 22, 2024, was manipulated.

“Like you, I feel a deep sense of betrayal. Not just by those who rigged the process, but by the very institutions we trusted to protect our democracy. You came out in hope.

“You voted for competence, for progress, for prosperity. And now we are told your voice does not matter … I feel your pain, I share your anger. And I will never forget your courage,” Ighodalo stated.

He maintained that the election was not a fair contest, but “a robbery coordinated and deliberate,” now, in his words, “tragically validated by the highest court in the land.”

While acknowledging the finality of the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ighodalo questioned the integrity of the judgment:

“Though I accept the finality of its judgment, I do not and cannot pretend that what was delivered amounts to justice,” he said.

He continued with a defiant tone, encouraging his supporters to remain resilient and united despite the setback:

“We are neither a fearful nor broken people. We may be wounded. But all wounds heal. So let this be our vow. We will not retreat. We will not be silenced. And we will not forget.”

In a formal statement titled “Final Statement on the Supreme Court Judgement in the Edo Governorship Election Petition,” Ighodalo addressed the people of Edo State with both sorrow and resolve.

He said, “What happened in the September 2024 Governorship Election was not a contest. It was a robbery. Coordinated. Deliberate. And now, tragically validated by the highest court in the land. While I will not and cannot obstruct any judicial pronouncement, no matter how flawed, I must never fear to speak truth to power.”

“To every young person who saw in this moment the birth of a new Edo. To every elder who longed to see our state rise again. To every woman and man who prayed, campaigned, and voted. We may not have won the office, but we won something greater. We found one another. We discovered our collective strength.”

According to Punch, he warned that the consequence of what he called “illegitimacy” would eventually show in governance:

“Yes, dark days may lie ahead. The weight of this illegitimacy will, unfortunately, echo beyond the halls of the Supreme Court. I fear Edo will feel it in the absence of leadership, in the poverty of policy, and in the daily suffering of her people.”

Calling on the winners to govern with conscience, Ighodalo ended his address with a call for historical accountability saying, “To those who now hold power undeserved, lead with humility. Govern with conscience. History sees what the courts may not. And one day, it will deliver its own verdict.”

Meanwhile, Emefiele arlier reports also indicated that Okpebholo offered “political amnesty” to Ighodalo following the legal defeat.

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