Appeal Court upholds Okpebholo’s victory as Edo governor

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has affirmed the election of Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, dismissing the petition filed by Asue Ighodalo, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election.

Delivering its judgment on Thursday, the appellate court ruled that Ighodalo’s petition lacked merit, thereby upholding the earlier decision of the tribunal that declared Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the keenly contested election.

In a swift reaction to the judgment, the PDP expressed its dissatisfaction and announced its intention to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court, signaling a continuation of the legal battle over the Edo governorship seat.

At the poll last September, Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) secured 291,667 votes to defeat PDP’s Ighodalo who got 247,274 votes, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) who came a distant third in the race with 22,763 votes. Fourteen other candidates contested the seat but got less than the three frontline candidates.

The APC candidate cleared over 10 of the 18 local government areas, leaving the PDP candidate with a marginal victory in the other local councils. The APC gained control in two of the three battleground senatorial districts in the state.

He was immediately declared returned elected by the electoral umpire INEC and sworn in as governor on November 12, 2024 when he took over the much-coveted seat at the Dennis Osadebe House from PDP’s Godwin Obaseki.