The Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and his challenger, Mr. Asue Ighodalo, will learn their fate on Thursday, July 10, as the Supreme Court is set to deliver its final judgment in the gubernatorial election dispute.
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The apex court’s ruling will bring an end to the prolonged series of legal battles concerning the legitimacy of the election.
Sources within the Supreme Court confirmed on Wednesday that the decision by the five-justice panel that heard the case will be publicly announced on July 10.
Governor Monday Okpebholo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were declared winners of the Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) last year.
Dissatisfied with the result, Asue Ighodalo and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the declaration at both the Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, but lost at both levels. This led them to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba Lawal, which heard the case, informed counsel representing the parties that the date for the delivery of the judgment would be communicated soon. The appeal seeks to overturn Okpebholo’s victory as Edo State Governor.
Recall that INEC had declared Okpebholo of the APC the winner of the September 21, 2024, governorship election, having secured the majority of valid votes cast.
However, Ighodalo, who was the runner-up, disputed the electoral commission’s decision, alleging that INEC did not follow the proper procedures during the election and that there were instances of over-voting in several polling units. He claimed that if these irregularities were accounted for, he would have emerged the winner instead of Okpebholo.
These allegations were dismissed by both the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Court of Appeal, both of which upheld Okpebholo’s election.
Ighodalo and the PDP had petitioned the courts to annul Okpebholo’s victory, citing widespread irregularities in the electoral process.
The Supreme Court remains the highest judicial authority in Nigeria, and its ruling will be final in resolving any legal disputes arising from the election.
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