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The Supreme Court on Thursday affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, putting an end to months of legal disputes over the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
Delivering a unanimous judgment, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed the appeal filed by Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for lacking in merit.
Reading the lead judgment, Justice Garba said the appellants failed to provide any credible evidence proving that Okpebholo did not secure valid votes during 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.
He further stated that the PDP and its candidate could not sufficiently demonstrate how the rulings of both the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal were flawed or perverse.
The verdict cements Senator Okpebholo’s position as the legitimate winner of the 2024 Edo State gubernatorial election.
It will be recalled that the PDP had challenged the outcome of the election, alleging widespread irregularities and calling for its nullification.
However, both the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal had earlier dismissed the petition, leading to a final appeal before the Supreme Court.
With Thursday’s ruling, the legal battle over the Edo governorship has been conclusively settled in favour of the APC and Governor Okpebholo.
