By Deborah Nnamdi
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the election of Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, dismissing an appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asuerinme Ighodalo.
In a unanimous ruling delivered by Justice Mohammed Garba on behalf of a five-member panel, the apex court held that the appeal lacked merit. It affirmed the decisions of both the Court of Appeal and the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had earlier declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the valid winner of the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
The court ruled that Ighodalo failed to present credible and admissible evidence to back his claims that the election was marred by irregularities such as over-voting and widespread non-compliance with the Electoral Act. It further noted that key witnesses were not called to validate critical evidence—including data from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines—while some documents were “dumped” on the court without proper demonstration or explanation.
“The appellant did not satisfactorily discharge the burden of proof placed on him by law,” the court stated.
Ighodalo’s appeal (SC/CV/536/2025) sought to overturn the Court of Appeal’s May 29 judgment, which had upheld Okpebholo’s victory. He argued that the appellate court failed to properly evaluate the evidence in his case. However, the Supreme Court found no justification to reverse the rulings of the lower courts.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Okpebholo, and the APC had all urged the Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal and affirm the election results.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal panel led by Justice M.A. Danjuma had supported the tribunal’s May 15 ruling, which validated the election outcome announced by INEC. The tribunal, chaired by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, had dismissed petitions from the PDP, the Action Alliance (AA), and the Accord Party (AP), all challenging Okpebholo’s victory.
INEC had declared Okpebholo the winner with 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,655 votes. Dissatisfied, the PDP and its candidate petitioned the tribunal, alleging electoral malpractice, including improper vote collation, manipulation of BVAS data, and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
Despite presenting 19 witnesses and over 150 BVAS devices from 133 polling units, the tribunal found the PDP failed to substantiate their allegations with credible evidence or competent witnesses. It stressed that hearsay testimony and a lack of live demonstration of the evidence were insufficient to overturn the election results.
The Supreme Court’s judgment on Thursday brings the legal contest to a close, firmly cementing Governor Okpebholo’s mandate.
