Supreme Court Dismisses Ighodalo’s Appeal, Affirms Okpebholo as Edo Governor

The Supreme Court of Nigeria on Thursday affirmed Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected Governor of Edo State, dismissing the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

In a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Lawal Garba on behalf of the five-member panel, the apex court ruled that the appellants failed to prove their allegations of over-voting, non-compliance with the Electoral Act, and other irregularities cited as grounds to overturn Okpebholo’s victory.

The court noted that Ighodalo’s challenge covered only 395 out of the 4,519 polling units where elections were conducted. It further held that the 19 witnesses called at the Tribunal did not sufficiently support the PDP’s case.

As a result, the Supreme Court concluded that there was no compelling reason to set aside the judgments of the lower courts. The panel stated that the appellants did not provide admissible evidence to establish that the election was marred by irregularities and over-voting, leading to the dismissal of Ighodalo’s appeal.

Earlier, on May 29, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Abuja had upheld the decision of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which affirmed Governor Okpebholo’s election victory. The appellate court described Ighodalo’s appeal as lacking in merit.