ABUJA, Nigeria — The Supreme Court has upheld the election of Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the duly elected governor of Edo State, affirming the decisions of both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal.
In a unanimous ruling delivered on Thursday, July 10, 2025, a five-member panel of the apex court led by Justice Mohammed Garba dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Asue Ighodalo, for lacking in merit.
“The appeal is hereby dismissed for lacking in merit and the judgement affirms the decision of the tribunal and court of appeal,” Justice Garba declared.
Ighodalo, through his counsel Ken Mosia, had asked the court to overturn Okpebholo’s victory in the Saturday, September 21, 2024 governorship poll.
He argued that he secured the majority of lawful votes and that the election was marred by widespread irregularities in violation of the Electoral Act 2022.
But the apex court held that Ighodalo and the PDP failed to provide convincing evidence to support their claims of non-compliance and voter irregularities.
The court also ruled that they could not demonstrate that the earlier decisions of the tribunal and appellate court were “perverse” or contrary to law.
Representing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), senior lawyer Kanu Agabi (SAN) urged the court to dismiss the appeal in its entirety—a position the Supreme Court ultimately adopted.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Monday Okpebholo winner of the Edo governorship election after he secured 291,667 votes, defeating:
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Asue Ighodalo (PDP): 247,274 votes
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Olumide Akpata (Labour Party): 22,763 votes
Ighodalo and the PDP had earlier challenged the outcome at the election petition tribunal, citing alleged electoral malpractices and non-compliance with the Electoral Act.
However, on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, a three-member tribunal panel led by Justice Wilfred Kpochi dismissed the petition, noting that the PDP failed to call competent witnesses or present sufficient evidence to substantiate their claims.
A further appeal to the Court of Appeal was similarly dismissed on Thursday, May 29, 2025, with Justice Mohammed Danjuma holding that the lower tribunal acted in line with the law.
Governor Okpebholo welcomed the ruling as a “victory for democracy and the will of Edo people.”
In a statement released by his media office, he said: “Today’s judgement has reaffirmed the choice of the people of Edo State. I call on all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, to join hands with us as we build a new future for our state.”
