The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, suffered a major setback on Thursday as the Court of Appeal in Abuja upheld the election of Senator Monday Okpebholo as the duly elected governor of Edo State.
Delivering judgment, a three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Mohamed Danjuma, dismissed the appeal filed by Ighodalo and the PDP, ruling that it lacked merit. The court affirmed the earlier verdict of the Edo State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, which had validated the September 21, 2024, election that produced Okpebholo as governor.
The tribunal, in a unanimous ruling delivered on April 2 by Justice Wilfred Kpochi, held that the petitioners failed to provide sufficient evidence to support their claims of over-voting and non-compliance with electoral guidelines.
Ighodalo and the PDP had taken the matter to the appellate court after INEC declared Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, as the winner of the election. The case listed INEC, APC, and Okpebholo as respondents, alleging electoral irregularities.
Despite the double loss at both the tribunal and appellate court, Ighodalo has vowed to take the matter to the Supreme Court.