PDP’s Ighodalo, Again, Fails To Upturn Gov Okpebholo’s Victory At The Appeal Court

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

The  Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja on Thursday May 29 ,2025 dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Candidate in the September 2 , 2024, off-circle gubernatorial election in Edo State, Chief Asue Ighodalo, against the electoral  victory of Governor Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressive Congress, APC.

The PDP candidate who, according to the result announced by Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  lost the polls, had his earlier petition against the declaration of his APC rival quashed by the Justice Winifred Kpochi-led tribunal on April 2 ,2025 .

Dissatisfied ,Ighodalo approached the Appellate court ,seeking a reversal .

The three-member appeal panel had penultimate week reserved judgment after all the parties adopted their written addresses.

While the aggrieved PDP candidate urged the Court to upturn the verdict of the lower court, the APC, and  INEC, prayed the court to uphold the victory of Governor Okpebholo as earlier declared by the electoral body and affirmed by the tribunal.

However, delivering its verdict, the Appeal Court held that Okpebholo was  validly returned as the winner of the polls .

Justice Mohammed Danjuma, while delivering  the unanimous judgment of the  Appellate court dismissed the PDP Candidate’s appeal as lacking in merit .

The Court held that Ighodalo, and the PDP ,failed to establish their allegations of manipulation of election results ,and miscarriage of Justice

As at the time of  reporting ,it was not yet clear  if the PDP ,and its candidate ,will be approaching the highest court in the land or, if they would helplessly call it a waste of time.