By Our Reporter
The Supreme Court has reserved judgment in the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo (SAN), challenging the victory of Senator Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2024 Edo State governorship election.
A five-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Garba, announced on Wednesday that judgment would be delivered at a later date, which will be communicated to all parties.
Ighodalo and the PDP are appealing the May 29 decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which upheld the April 2 ruling of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal affirming Okpebholo’s win.
Arguing for the appellants, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ken Mozia urged the court to overturn the lower court judgments, asserting that Ighodalo secured the majority of lawful votes. Mozia requested that the court declare Ighodalo the rightful winner of the September 21, 2024, election.
On the opposing side, senior lawyers including Kanu Agabi (SAN) and Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), representing INEC and the APC respectively, asked the court to dismiss the appeal for lack of merit.
The earlier judgment delivered by Justice Olabode Abimbola Adegbehingbe of the Court of Appeal ruled that the PDP and Ighodalo failed to prove key allegations of electoral malpractice, including over-voting and non-compliance with electoral guidelines.
Justice Adegbehingbe noted that the appellants’ evidence—based on testimonies from only 19 witnesses—was insufficient, with most of them not present at the polling units in question. He also emphasized the failure to produce voter registers as a critical flaw in the case.
The apex court’s eventual ruling will be decisive for the political future of Edo State and could influence the national political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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