Finally, Supreme Court Validates Gov Okpebholo Victory As Edo Gov

By Ayodele Oni

The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Edo state Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and thrown out the appeal filed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo.

In a unanimous ruling delivered on Thursday, a five-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba held that the case presented by the PDP lacked convincing evidence and failed to meet the legal standard required to overturn an election result.

The court agreed with earlier decisions by both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had also upheld Okpebholo’s win in the September 21, 2024, governorship election.

The apex court held that the appellant was unable to provide substantial proof to back his allegations of irregularities, such as over-voting and violations of the Electoral Act.

The Justices pointed out that critical pieces of evidence were not adequately supported with live testimony and that some of the documents, including BVAS records, were simply submitted without properly linking them to the issues raised.

Justice Garba, reading the lead judgment, emphasized that the PDP failed to call essential witnesses, such as polling unit agents or election officials, to support its claims.

He noted that submitting documents without demonstrating their relevance in court amounted to dumping evidence, which is not enough under the law.

The panel concluded that Ighodalo and the PDP did not discharge the burden of proof imposed by law, and therefore, there was no justification to disturb the concurrent findings of the lower courts.

Ighodalo had asked the Supreme Court to nullify the Court of Appeal’s ruling delivered on May 29, which upheld the tribunal’s verdict confirming Okpebholo’s election.

He argued that the election was marred by widespread irregularities and lacked compliance with legal procedures.

While the PDP insisted that their candidate had won the highest number of lawful votes and should be declared the winner, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC, and Governor Okpebholo all urged the court to dismiss the appeal.