By Ayomide Otitoju
The Court of Appeal in Abuja on Thursday upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo as Governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by Asue Ighodalo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the outcome of the September 21, 2024 governorship election.
Delivering judgment, a three-member panel of the appellate court, led by Justice Mohammed Danjuma, unanimously held that Ighodalo’s appeal lacked merit. The court affirmed the earlier ruling of the election petition tribunal, which had dismissed the PDP candidate’s petition for lack of evidence.
“The appellants failed to establish that the tribunal erred in its decision,” the panel ruled, effectively confirming Okpebholo’s victory in the keenly contested poll.
Despite the appellate court’s decision, Ighodalo has vowed to pursue the matter to the Supreme Court, expressing dissatisfaction with the judgment and insisting on a further legal challenge.
In the September election, Okpebholo, who ran on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), secured 291,667 votes, defeating Ighodalo, who garnered 247,274 votes, while Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party (LP) placed third with 22,763 votes. Fourteen other candidates also contested but failed to make significant impact.
The APC candidate won convincingly in over 10 of the 18 local government areas, while the PDP managed narrow victories in the remaining councils. Okpebholo also delivered wins in two of the three senatorial districts, reinforcing his party’s dominance in the state.
Following the announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Okpebholo was sworn in on November 12, 2024, succeeding outgoing PDP governor Godwin Obaseki at the Dennis Osadebe House.
Ighodalo initially challenged the result at the election tribunal, alleging irregularities and non-compliance with the Electoral Act. However, the tribunal, led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, dismissed the petition in April 2025, citing the failure of the PDP and other petitioners to present credible and competent witnesses.
In its ruling, the tribunal emphasized that allegations of electoral malpractice must be substantiated with evidence. It noted that the petitioners did not call polling unit officials, presiding officers, or voters to support their claims—an omission the tribunal deemed “fatal” to their case.
With the Appeal Court now affirming both Okpebholo’s election and the tribunal’s verdict, Ighodalo’s legal options have narrowed to a final challenge at the Supreme Court.
