Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo, has vowed to take his case to the Supreme Court following the decision of the Court of Appeal in Abuja to uphold the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as governor.
The appellate court, in a ruling delivered on Thursday, affirmed the earlier decision of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which dismissed Ighodalo’s petition and validated Okpebholo’s win in the September 21, 2024, governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Okpebholo, as the winner with 291,667 votes, ahead of Ighodalo, who polled 247,655 votes.
PDP’s Allegations and Legal Battle
Unconvinced by the result, Ighodalo and the PDP approached the tribunal, claiming the election violated the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022. Among their allegations were:
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Failure of INEC to properly serialize and pre-record sensitive election materials
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Over-voting in 765 polling units
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Collation irregularities and manipulated results
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Okpebholo’s alleged lack of majority valid votes
To support their claims, the petitioners presented 19 witnesses and submitted 153 BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) machines as evidence.
However, the tribunal ruled that the witnesses gave mostly secondhand accounts, not backed by firsthand observers such as polling agents or accredited voters. Additionally, the tribunal stated that the BVAS evidence was not effectively demonstrated.
Appeal Court’s Verdict
Agreeing with the tribunal’s findings, the Court of Appeal ruled that the PDP failed to provide “strong, direct, and credible evidence” to overturn the election outcome. The court stated that the petitioners did not meet the legal threshold required to invalidate the results declared by INEC.
Ighodalo Responds: “We’re Going to the Supreme Court”
Despite back-to-back legal setbacks, Asue Ighodalo remains undeterred. In a post-verdict statement, he announced plans to approach the Supreme Court — Nigeria’s highest judicial authority on electoral matters.
“We believe in the strength of our case and the need to uphold electoral integrity. This is not just about me — it is about ensuring the democratic process is respected and that the voice of the people counts,” he stated.
If accepted, the Supreme Court appeal will be the final legal avenue to contest the governorship election.
