BREAKING: Supreme Court affirms Gov Okpebholo’s election victory

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, dismissing an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.

This is the last bus stop for Ighodalo and the PDP as the matter that has been adjudicated by the apex court and therefore may not be pursued further by the same parties [res judicata].

Delivering a unanimous verdict on Thursday, a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba ruled that the appeal lacked merit.

The court found no justification to overturn the earlier decisions of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had both affirmed Okpebholo’s victory under the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice Garba stated that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to provide credible and admissible evidence to support their claims of widespread irregularities, including over-voting and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.

The apex court also faulted the PDP for failing to call essential witnesses to support the documents they submitted, particularly those related to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). Many of the materials were said to have been “dumped” on the tribunal without proper demonstration.

“The Appellant did not satisfactorily discharge the burden of proof placed on him by the law,” Justice Garba ruled.

Ighodalo had asked the court to set aside the May 29 ruling of the Court of Appeal, arguing that the election was not conducted in substantial compliance with the law and that he secured the highest number of valid votes.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Governor Okpebholo, and the APC all urged the court to dismiss the appeal—which the Supreme Court ultimately did after reserving judgment on July 2.

Earlier, the election tribunal had also dismissed petitions filed by the PDP, the Action Alliance (AA), and the Accord Party (AP), ruling that they failed to provide solid evidence to challenge the results announced by INEC.

INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner of the September 21, 2024 election with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes.

The PDP had alleged irregularities in 765 polling units, claiming result manipulation, over-voting, and improper use of BVAS machines.

They also contested the alleged failure of INEC to pre-record and serialize sensitive election materials.

However, the tribunal ruled that their case lacked credible witness testimony and failed to meet legal standards of proof.

With this Supreme Court ruling, Monday Okpebholo’s election as Governor of Edo State stands confirmed.