BREAKING: Supreme Court Upholds Okpebholo’s Election As Edo State Governor

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has affirmed the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, putting an end to all legal disputes surrounding the September 2024 governorship election in the state.

Delivering judgment on Thursday morning in Abuja, a five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, for lacking in merit.

The court held that the appellants failed to prove allegations of widespread irregularities, over-voting, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. According to the panel, the PDP and Ighodalo were unable to substantiate their claims with credible, admissible, and sufficient evidence.

Justice Lawal, reading the lead judgment, emphasized that the appellants did not present any polling unit agents, electoral officers, or voters as witnesses to corroborate the allegations of electoral malpractice. He also noted that while the petitioners tendered over 150 BVAS machines in court, they failed to activate or properly demonstrate them during trial, thereby rendering them ineffective as evidence.

The judgment also faulted the PDP’s reliance on what the court described as “dumped documents”—uncorroborated materials submitted without linking them to specific polling units or authenticating them through witnesses. The court maintained that mere allegations without concrete proof do not meet the standard of electoral dispute adjudication.

This final verdict from the Supreme Court upholds the earlier rulings of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, both of which had dismissed Ighodalo’s petition and confirmed Okpebholo’s victory.

Governor Okpebholo was declared winner of the September 21, 2024 election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having polled a total of 291,667 votes, defeating his closest rival, Asue Ighodalo of the PDP, who scored 247,655 votes.

The PDP had alleged irregularities in 765 polling units across various local governments in Edo State and had brought 19 witnesses to support their case at the tribunal. However, both the tribunal and the appellate court ruled that the petitioners failed to establish a clear link between their claims and the outcome of the election.

With today’s decision, the Supreme Court has now drawn the curtain on the protracted legal battle, confirming Monday Okpebholo’s mandate and allowing him to continue in office without further legal distractions.

The ruling is seen as a significant victory for the APC in Edo State and a major setback for the PDP, which had hoped to reclaim the state through the courts.

Governor Okpebholo, who succeeded Governor Godwin Obaseki, is expected to address the state in a formal broadcast following the judgment. Security has been tightened around government buildings and INEC offices in Edo State to maintain order in the aftermath of the ruling.

This development reaffirms the Supreme Court’s role as the final arbiter in electoral matters and reinforces the legal principle that allegations must be backed by credible and admissible evidence.