Appeal Court Reserves Judgment In Edo Governorship Tussle

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The Court of Appeal  sitting in Abuja, on Thursday, May 15, 2025, reserved rulings on the appeals filed by different parties against the declaration of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressive Congress APC as the winner of the September 21,2024 off-circle gubernatorial polls in Edo state.

The Source reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had declared  Okpebholo the winner of the election with a total of 291,667 votes,against the 247,655 votes garnered by his closest rival Chief Asue Ighodalo of the rival Peoples Democratic  Party PDP.

The Edo State Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja had, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, affirmed Okpebholo’s electoral victory.

The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three member panel dismissed the petition filed by the PDP candidate on the grounds that sufficient evidences were not adduced to substantiate allegations of manipulation of election results and over-voting in favour of the winner, Governor Okpebholo.

Dissatisfied with the Tribunal’s ruling, the PDP flag bearer approached the Appeal Court seeking a reversal.

The three-member Appeal panel, headed by Justice Mohammed Danjuma reserved the date for its verdict after all the parties adopted their written addresses.

The Court will be delivering judgments on three appeals, and one cross-appeal filed challenging the ruling of  the lower panel.

The three appeals heard include the one filed by the PDP, and its candidate, as well as a cross-appeal by the APC and Governor Okpebholo.

Specifically, the PDP and and its candidate in their appeal urged the Appeal Court to reverse the ruling of the lower court as delivered on April 2 ,2025.

The lead counsel to Chief Ighodalo and the PDP  Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN, prayed the Court to uphold their  appeal and set aside the earlier verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal.

Conversely, the legal team of the APC and Governor Okpebholo urged the Court to dismiss the appeals against its clients.

Governor Okpebholo’s lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, summed up the appeals, as a mere academic exercise.

Both Counsels to the INEC ,and APC, Kalu Agabi, SAN, and Emmanuel Ukala, SAN, respectively, aligned with the position of the PDP’candidate’s counsel.

Other appeals filed and heard by the Appeal court  against the rulings of the lower panel were those by the Action Alliance, AA, and Accord Party.